Thanks, guys.
It's a weird world. One hardly knows what to do or say in it. So the things to say or do are the things that make you or those close to you happy, without hurting anyone. As far as I can tell, nothing we do really matters, except on the small interpersonal scale.
And that's the lesson. It's all there is. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because they do. Good things happen to good people, too. There's no "explanation" for it. No big meaning. No plan. It just is what it is. When something sad happens, many people look for help or comfort from many different sources. That's fine. Whatever makes them feel better and doesn't hurt anyone is a beautiful thing. But none of those sources of psychic comfort represents "The Truth." None of them are (that should actually be "None of them is...", shouldn't it?) more correct or more noble or more righteous or more universal than any others. They are all simply what works for a particular person at a particular time in a particular situation.
What we all need to do is just what people have been saying for decades:
-- pay less attention to the expectations of others
-- enjoy your relationships if they enrich your life (and jettison them if they are consistently negative)
-- don't depend too much on anyone (that doesn't mean never trust)
-- give people the benefit of the doubt (as long as there is any doubt)
-- do what makes you happy (so long as it doesn't hurt others)
-- don't be mad at the world for being the way it is (the world doesn't know or care that you are mad and is not going to change)
-- if you're unhappy with something, change it or get over it
-- eat oreos
-- don't read sappy books with sappy lists like this
All of that is, of course, unoriginal, trite. But being trite (and sappy) doesn't mean it's not true. And it doesn't hurt me to be reminded of ancient truths from time to time. Perhaps I'm just weak-minded, but I like to be reminded of things frequently.
It's weird how being just a little sad and just a little lonely makes me all of a sudden sound like a sentimental drunk. Boo hoo.... ;-)
Monday, April 21, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Out, out....
I haven't been very interested in posting lately. Probably wouldn't today, either, except for an awful thing.
Was at Mockingbird Station this morning meeting up with the DRC crew for the regular Saturday morning run (13 miles down Swiss Ave, through downtown and back up the Katy trail) when Greg passed on some terrible news. There's this guy, Arshad, whom I just know from Saturday mornings. We'd spoken several times, but last week we ended up pretty much running together for most of the run. I found out a lot about him. 28 years old. Engineer at TI. About to start a new job after a promotion. New girlfriend. Excited because his parents were coming to visit him from India for the first time, so he was going to see them after about 3 years separation. Everything going great.
Yesterday his parents got in town and last night he was driving them around showing them Dallas. Drunk driver smashed them, killed him and his mother, and left his father in critical condition, 50/50 chance of living.
How does one react to that sort of thing? We all just sort of stood around for a couple of minutes shaking our heads saying how sad it is. Then we just said "Oh, well...." and started the run.
Nobody really knows him. (I guess Greg does, because he at least heard about the accident. But even he didn't know about whether there is other family or anything.) Arshad was just a guy who started showing up on Saturday mornings a few months ago. I know he was a pretty fast guy who liked to run with the slower group on Saturdays. I generally run with the faster group, but didn't last Saturday, because I wasn't feeling very good, and that's how he and I ended up "together." We started out with but went on ahead of the slower folks.
Somehow I think I should "do something." But I don't know any more details. I tried to call Greg, but I don't really even know him except from seeing him on Saturday mornings. I'm not sure there's really anything I could do. But maybe that's just an excuse. If that ever happened to me, I don't know who would do what. I know there are a few people who would be sad for a while, but then they would "turn to their affairs."
That's an oddly disconcerting feeling. If I died, people at REI and running buddies would shake their heads, comment on how sad it was, and then just go on without me. That's simply stating the obvious, of course, but the thought of the world without me in it makes me feel a little bit solemn, or something like that. I'm not sure that's the right word. Of course, the world without Patrick in it is going to happen soon enough, anyway. I'm not quite ready for that yet, though.
The thought of Arshad's father in the ICU in a strange country where he'd apparently been for less than 12 hours is really sad, though, especially as I don't know if there's anyone to sit in the waiting room for him.
I think I'll try again to call Greg.
But first I've got to shower and go to a vendor (Asics running shoes) meeting at REI at 2:00.
Was at Mockingbird Station this morning meeting up with the DRC crew for the regular Saturday morning run (13 miles down Swiss Ave, through downtown and back up the Katy trail) when Greg passed on some terrible news. There's this guy, Arshad, whom I just know from Saturday mornings. We'd spoken several times, but last week we ended up pretty much running together for most of the run. I found out a lot about him. 28 years old. Engineer at TI. About to start a new job after a promotion. New girlfriend. Excited because his parents were coming to visit him from India for the first time, so he was going to see them after about 3 years separation. Everything going great.
Yesterday his parents got in town and last night he was driving them around showing them Dallas. Drunk driver smashed them, killed him and his mother, and left his father in critical condition, 50/50 chance of living.
How does one react to that sort of thing? We all just sort of stood around for a couple of minutes shaking our heads saying how sad it is. Then we just said "Oh, well...." and started the run.
Nobody really knows him. (I guess Greg does, because he at least heard about the accident. But even he didn't know about whether there is other family or anything.) Arshad was just a guy who started showing up on Saturday mornings a few months ago. I know he was a pretty fast guy who liked to run with the slower group on Saturdays. I generally run with the faster group, but didn't last Saturday, because I wasn't feeling very good, and that's how he and I ended up "together." We started out with but went on ahead of the slower folks.
Somehow I think I should "do something." But I don't know any more details. I tried to call Greg, but I don't really even know him except from seeing him on Saturday mornings. I'm not sure there's really anything I could do. But maybe that's just an excuse. If that ever happened to me, I don't know who would do what. I know there are a few people who would be sad for a while, but then they would "turn to their affairs."
That's an oddly disconcerting feeling. If I died, people at REI and running buddies would shake their heads, comment on how sad it was, and then just go on without me. That's simply stating the obvious, of course, but the thought of the world without me in it makes me feel a little bit solemn, or something like that. I'm not sure that's the right word. Of course, the world without Patrick in it is going to happen soon enough, anyway. I'm not quite ready for that yet, though.
The thought of Arshad's father in the ICU in a strange country where he'd apparently been for less than 12 hours is really sad, though, especially as I don't know if there's anyone to sit in the waiting room for him.
I think I'll try again to call Greg.
But first I've got to shower and go to a vendor (Asics running shoes) meeting at REI at 2:00.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Oops...
I recommended some music in my last post that I'm now feeling a little iffy about. Amel Larrieux is a singer who appeared on a Pandora channel I set up. The only album I heard songs from was "Lovely Standards." It's slow quiet, jazzy standards. She comes across as a chanteuse in a Humphrey Bogart movie.
Tonight I was listening and thought about buying a CD, so I went to Amazon to hear what she's done, and it was just a little odd. The first one other than "Lovely Standards" was very different. Now, different is OK, but this was just a little too hip-hoppy for me.
Not that it matters, but if you've come to depend primarily on my recommendations in your music choices ;-) I thought I'd give you a little heads-up.
Tonight I was listening and thought about buying a CD, so I went to Amazon to hear what she's done, and it was just a little odd. The first one other than "Lovely Standards" was very different. Now, different is OK, but this was just a little too hip-hoppy for me.
Not that it matters, but if you've come to depend primarily on my recommendations in your music choices ;-) I thought I'd give you a little heads-up.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Keeping it up
Did a loop today, and felt great. That still seems odd, somehow.
It was actually an odd sort of run. Odd in that my brain was working overtime. I had more of those weird ideations that I get from time to time during a run. I think maybe I've talked about that before.
Even more, though, I was thinking about Deneen and Steve. My pals in Antarctica. Had the most fun ever just a couple of nights ago. I was sitting here at the computer when my phone rang. It was late, so naturally I assumed that it was someone -- perhaps a son -- in trouble of some sort.
The caller ID said "Private Call." Even more ominous. I answered fearing the worst. But it wasn't the worst. t was the best. It took me a few sentences to realize that I was receiving an call from Antarctica! It was Deneen! I was totally shocked.
She and Steve and some of their cohorts were sitting around playing chess....
[Don't you love Renee Fleming? A real diva. Fleming doing an Ave Maria is perhaps the greatest.]
(sorry...)
... and no doubt significantly intoxicated, so they decided to call Patrick. It was really fun talking and catching up, especially considering that it was from the freakin' South Pole! (Or if not actually at the South Pole, at least within a 3 hour flight from there.) I found out that Steve had actually made it to the pole himself, a couple of weeks after Deneen was there. That's cool. It was interesting to hear about activities and work and the weather and light and dark and cold and yoga and population and on and on.
Anyway, today while I was running I was thinking about how it's starting to get a little warm. Upper 70s seems pretty warm. I had kinda forgotten about real sweat. (Sorry if this is gross.) You always sweat when running, but when it's warm out that is compounded. But sweat is not actually the point. I was thinking about how it would be if I were in Antarctica.
Yes, that would be an adventure. I'd get a kick out of it and I have no doubt I'd survive a season and have some wonderful memorable experiences. And yet I don't know how much I'd like never having warmth. And never having any green (outside of things growing in the fridge in my room). (Just kidding.) But being able to put on the shorts and t-shirt and shoes and go out without a heavy coat and boots for a walk or run or whatever is not, I think, something I'd want to miss for too long. I'm glad we have people like Deneen and Steve who apparently actually like being there providing the support structure for science that can only be done there. I just hope they (D & S) don't find themselves on the wrong side -- the mobile side -- of a huge slab of ice that breaks off and floats away.
[Familiar with Amel Larrieux? If not, I suggest you fire her up on Pandora and give a listen. All of you more sophisticated people have probably been listening to her for a long time, but I'm a recent convert.]
On another topic, I wonder what to do with a student who tells me that his father is sick, back home in Cambodia, so he's going to have to leave on April 5 and miss the rest of the semester, which ends May 8. He says he doesn't want to drop the class, and wonders what he can do about it. Huh? You're going to miss the last month of class, several assignments and the final, and you wonder what you can do about it? I'd like to tell him what to do. But rather than really tell him what to do, I think I'll just tell him to drop.
As always, it's really late, and I have a busy day tomorrow.
Later.....
It was actually an odd sort of run. Odd in that my brain was working overtime. I had more of those weird ideations that I get from time to time during a run. I think maybe I've talked about that before.
Even more, though, I was thinking about Deneen and Steve. My pals in Antarctica. Had the most fun ever just a couple of nights ago. I was sitting here at the computer when my phone rang. It was late, so naturally I assumed that it was someone -- perhaps a son -- in trouble of some sort.
The caller ID said "Private Call." Even more ominous. I answered fearing the worst. But it wasn't the worst. t was the best. It took me a few sentences to realize that I was receiving an call from Antarctica! It was Deneen! I was totally shocked.
She and Steve and some of their cohorts were sitting around playing chess....
[Don't you love Renee Fleming? A real diva. Fleming doing an Ave Maria is perhaps the greatest.]
(sorry...)
... and no doubt significantly intoxicated, so they decided to call Patrick. It was really fun talking and catching up, especially considering that it was from the freakin' South Pole! (Or if not actually at the South Pole, at least within a 3 hour flight from there.) I found out that Steve had actually made it to the pole himself, a couple of weeks after Deneen was there. That's cool. It was interesting to hear about activities and work and the weather and light and dark and cold and yoga and population and on and on.
Anyway, today while I was running I was thinking about how it's starting to get a little warm. Upper 70s seems pretty warm. I had kinda forgotten about real sweat. (Sorry if this is gross.) You always sweat when running, but when it's warm out that is compounded. But sweat is not actually the point. I was thinking about how it would be if I were in Antarctica.
Yes, that would be an adventure. I'd get a kick out of it and I have no doubt I'd survive a season and have some wonderful memorable experiences. And yet I don't know how much I'd like never having warmth. And never having any green (outside of things growing in the fridge in my room). (Just kidding.) But being able to put on the shorts and t-shirt and shoes and go out without a heavy coat and boots for a walk or run or whatever is not, I think, something I'd want to miss for too long. I'm glad we have people like Deneen and Steve who apparently actually like being there providing the support structure for science that can only be done there. I just hope they (D & S) don't find themselves on the wrong side -- the mobile side -- of a huge slab of ice that breaks off and floats away.
[Familiar with Amel Larrieux? If not, I suggest you fire her up on Pandora and give a listen. All of you more sophisticated people have probably been listening to her for a long time, but I'm a recent convert.]
On another topic, I wonder what to do with a student who tells me that his father is sick, back home in Cambodia, so he's going to have to leave on April 5 and miss the rest of the semester, which ends May 8. He says he doesn't want to drop the class, and wonders what he can do about it. Huh? You're going to miss the last month of class, several assignments and the final, and you wonder what you can do about it? I'd like to tell him what to do. But rather than really tell him what to do, I think I'll just tell him to drop.
As always, it's really late, and I have a busy day tomorrow.
Later.....
Sunday, March 23, 2008
One interesting thing...
Actually, there has been an interesting thing in my life lately. Interesting to me.
I've been thanked about 25,000 times in the last few weeks!
You want to get thanked? Just get on the e-mail distribution list for a presidential candidate.
I've signed up for Obama, Clinton and McCain e-mail updates, just to keep up with their official spin on items of the day. It's a rare day that I don't get at least a couple of e-mails from Barack and Hillary thanking me for the hard work I've done in the past, and prospectively for the hard work I'll surely do in the future, to bring about CHANGE!! by supporting their candidacy.
Less McCain stuff, for obvious reasons, though he's definitely around.
Oh, and every Thanks! is within clicking distance of a big red Contribute! button as well, of course.
I've been thanked about 25,000 times in the last few weeks!
You want to get thanked? Just get on the e-mail distribution list for a presidential candidate.
I've signed up for Obama, Clinton and McCain e-mail updates, just to keep up with their official spin on items of the day. It's a rare day that I don't get at least a couple of e-mails from Barack and Hillary thanking me for the hard work I've done in the past, and prospectively for the hard work I'll surely do in the future, to bring about CHANGE!! by supporting their candidacy.
Less McCain stuff, for obvious reasons, though he's definitely around.
Oh, and every Thanks! is within clicking distance of a big red Contribute! button as well, of course.
Motivation
I haven't really been motivated to post here lately. I guess there's not really much I want to say. Some people have regular specific items that they post about -- like weekly photography "exhibits" and such -- but I don't have that. Except for the endless droning about how I did 9 miles Friday and 13 miles Saturday (yesterday I ended up on a new route with a faster group and "had to" go faster than I normally would, with the result that I was sore for the rest of the day, and only did 4 miles this morning, thinking I should give myself a chance to recover), but how boring is that?
I could talk about school, but there's been nothing really interesting there, either.
Perhaps the world wants to know all about my private life outside of running? I don't think so.
A blog post I read just a few days ago confirms that to me. Somehow I got on a kind of notification deal when this particular acquaintance of mine posts to her blog. I only had a couple of conversations with her about not particularly personal things, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, I'm getting weekly notices when she updates her blog. Reading about how she hates her parents and what she does when she's lonely (remarkably explicit, intensely personal things that no sensible person should talk about, I'm sure, especially if her professional contacts read this blog, as I have reason to suspect they do) really do not interest me. They actually kind of disgust me. Perhaps that's a sign of how out of touch I am with popular culture. Her "Reality Blog" would, I'll bet, be just the ticket for a "reality TV" show. And that would interest me -- disgust me -- to at least the same extent. Sometimes I sincerely fear for the future of our culture. The wacky egocentrism (The spell-checker is underlining that word, but I'm going to leave it. It is right, right?) of our confessional society has got to be a symptom of some sort of systemic social disease that seems like it **must** be eating away at whatever "strength" we have as a society.
I haven't given that notion any thought at all. It just came out of my fingers. But it reflects the anomie that I believe I see and feel right now.
Anyway, if I can think of anything interesting or useful to say, I'll post again. I suppose I've publicly -- publicly as in this blog, though "the public" don't read it -- struggled with this before. Perhaps it's a sign of age that I really have a hard time remembering what I've talked about previously. This is one of those things I'm sure has come up before, though. Sorry....
Happy Easter, everyone, for anyone out there who ascribes meaning to the day. I'm going to Chad's house for dinner tonight (personal details!!) so that should be fun. Gumbo.
I could talk about school, but there's been nothing really interesting there, either.
Perhaps the world wants to know all about my private life outside of running? I don't think so.
A blog post I read just a few days ago confirms that to me. Somehow I got on a kind of notification deal when this particular acquaintance of mine posts to her blog. I only had a couple of conversations with her about not particularly personal things, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, I'm getting weekly notices when she updates her blog. Reading about how she hates her parents and what she does when she's lonely (remarkably explicit, intensely personal things that no sensible person should talk about, I'm sure, especially if her professional contacts read this blog, as I have reason to suspect they do) really do not interest me. They actually kind of disgust me. Perhaps that's a sign of how out of touch I am with popular culture. Her "Reality Blog" would, I'll bet, be just the ticket for a "reality TV" show. And that would interest me -- disgust me -- to at least the same extent. Sometimes I sincerely fear for the future of our culture. The wacky egocentrism (The spell-checker is underlining that word, but I'm going to leave it. It is right, right?) of our confessional society has got to be a symptom of some sort of systemic social disease that seems like it **must** be eating away at whatever "strength" we have as a society.
I haven't given that notion any thought at all. It just came out of my fingers. But it reflects the anomie that I believe I see and feel right now.
Anyway, if I can think of anything interesting or useful to say, I'll post again. I suppose I've publicly -- publicly as in this blog, though "the public" don't read it -- struggled with this before. Perhaps it's a sign of age that I really have a hard time remembering what I've talked about previously. This is one of those things I'm sure has come up before, though. Sorry....
Happy Easter, everyone, for anyone out there who ascribes meaning to the day. I'm going to Chad's house for dinner tonight (personal details!!) so that should be fun. Gumbo.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Three days off (from running)
It's too much. I miss it. And I worry that if I take very much time off I'll lose something. But tomorrow is a new day. After my classes tomorrow, I'm off until I have to go to REI for a clinic at 9:00 p.m.
(Seems a shame to have to go in for just an hour. I wouldn't do it except that it's a Garmin clinic, and I need some education.)
But I'll get in a long run in the afternoon. The rain is supposed to have stopped by then. Maybe I'll do a ride and run combo, as I like to do. We'll see how the time goes.
I've been thinking about memorializing (Now that I'm about to say this out loud it sounds kind of stupid. Oh, well....) the anniversary of my first run -- April 18 -- with something special. Today I even arranged to have the 18th off. I was actually thinking since I was not able to schedule a marathon this Spring I'd do a personal private marathon. Maybe even get really extreme and do a century on the bike and a marathon. That sounds kind of crazy. I don't think I'll really do it though. Just a wild hair thought.
On another topic.... Todd, the Dallas REI store manager, just got back from a week-long Leadership Conference, and in our first conversation he used the word "learnings." As in "In today's session you'll have 4 learnings." I almost choked him. When I went to Seattle last year for a week of training for my SPE position, the people in charge kept saying that word. It drove me nuts. So much so that at the end of the week when they asked for our comments on the week's experience, my only comment was "'Learnings' is not a word!" Apparently, though, "learnings" is all the rage among the training cognoscenti at REI corporate.
When I yelled at Todd about it, he first denied having used the word that way, but when I repeated his words back to him he relented. He then went away as he does (and as I frequently do when I experience an unanswered question) and googled it. He came back laughing with a printout and said the first hit he got was: http://blog.jeffreymcmanus.com/?s=learnings. Great blog post and great comments. Something that an English professor might be interested in. ;-)
Oh, it's late again. I always say that, don't I? But it's true!
Till next time....
(Seems a shame to have to go in for just an hour. I wouldn't do it except that it's a Garmin clinic, and I need some education.)
But I'll get in a long run in the afternoon. The rain is supposed to have stopped by then. Maybe I'll do a ride and run combo, as I like to do. We'll see how the time goes.
I've been thinking about memorializing (Now that I'm about to say this out loud it sounds kind of stupid. Oh, well....) the anniversary of my first run -- April 18 -- with something special. Today I even arranged to have the 18th off. I was actually thinking since I was not able to schedule a marathon this Spring I'd do a personal private marathon. Maybe even get really extreme and do a century on the bike and a marathon. That sounds kind of crazy. I don't think I'll really do it though. Just a wild hair thought.
On another topic.... Todd, the Dallas REI store manager, just got back from a week-long Leadership Conference, and in our first conversation he used the word "learnings." As in "In today's session you'll have 4 learnings." I almost choked him. When I went to Seattle last year for a week of training for my SPE position, the people in charge kept saying that word. It drove me nuts. So much so that at the end of the week when they asked for our comments on the week's experience, my only comment was "'Learnings' is not a word!" Apparently, though, "learnings" is all the rage among the training cognoscenti at REI corporate.
When I yelled at Todd about it, he first denied having used the word that way, but when I repeated his words back to him he relented. He then went away as he does (and as I frequently do when I experience an unanswered question) and googled it. He came back laughing with a printout and said the first hit he got was: http://blog.jeffreymcmanus.com/?s=learnings. Great blog post and great comments. Something that an English professor might be interested in. ;-)
Oh, it's late again. I always say that, don't I? But it's true!
Till next time....
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Grapefruit....
I can't get enough of it. But it's got to be good sweet Texas Ruby Red grapefruit. Those yellow California grapefruit are so sour that I don't enjoy them nearly as much. Anyone out there prefer sour California grapefruit? ... ... ... didn't think so....
Didn't run today. But did a good loop yesterday (Wednesday). And on Tuesday I went back to Brookhaven for a run, only to discover that 1/4 mile of the trail is blocked because of a construction project. It turned out to be fun, though, because someone named Howard had blazed "Howard's Trail" sorta through the woods on the edge of the campus. So you could still do it (run laps), but only by doing a couple of stream crossings and some rock hopping and semi-sliding down and up muddy stream banks. Fun, if a little slower than just running on the track. Ended up doing 3 laps -- 6 miles. Might have done one more, but it was starting to get darkish, and I couldn't have done the detour, so I just stopped. It was enough, anyway.
I thought I had created a problem for myself on Tuesday's run, though. Climbing up a slippery bank the second of three times I followed Howard's Trail, I slipped a little bit and twisted my knee. I walked a little to see if the pain would go away, and it did. But not totally. Several times I had a weird pain in my knee. It felt sort of like my kneecap slipped out of place and popped back in place very quickly. That happened 4 or 5 times. I kept running (I've said before that my main "lesson learned" about running injuries is that I'm better off just ignoring them. This probably just means I haven't had a real injury yet. I'm in no hurry. No hurry to have an injury, that is.) and the pain kept going away.
[Wicked is a great show. I've always liked Broadway. No, I'm not gay. Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel are both great, and Stephen Schwartz is great, and the story is great, and it's all, well, great.]
Then yesterday I was worried again that the knee would be a problem. Didn't turn out that way, though. Went 'round the lake with no trouble at all. It's always an effort to run 9 miles. But it's familiar effort. It really is fun. Once you get past the point where any running at all is really hard -- once you achieve a certain level of fitness -- it's fun. I think at least many people who are "scared" of running (and no, I'm not talking to any particular person here) should give it a try. It's hardest at first. That goes for each individual run, as well. Every time I go out, it's hardest for the first mile or 2 or 3. Then I "settle into a rhythm." The feet move, the arms move, the lungs move, and I enjoy it, partly for the running itself and partly because of my consciousness that I'm helping myself with every stride.
Way back when I started riding the bike (way back in 2000) the same thing was true. It took a while to get to a certain level of fitness, and then it was fun. I wonder if swimming would be the same way? I STILL haven't done anything about that. Stupid me.
I just deleted a whole paragraph I'd written about my feelings about riding and running. It sounded a little unseemly. I guess I will say, though, that I like riding and running and I like the fact that I can do it. If that doesn't make sense, that's OK. It makes sense to me.
And it's really, really late again. Seems like it's always late when I get this stuff typed.
'Nite.
Didn't run today. But did a good loop yesterday (Wednesday). And on Tuesday I went back to Brookhaven for a run, only to discover that 1/4 mile of the trail is blocked because of a construction project. It turned out to be fun, though, because someone named Howard had blazed "Howard's Trail" sorta through the woods on the edge of the campus. So you could still do it (run laps), but only by doing a couple of stream crossings and some rock hopping and semi-sliding down and up muddy stream banks. Fun, if a little slower than just running on the track. Ended up doing 3 laps -- 6 miles. Might have done one more, but it was starting to get darkish, and I couldn't have done the detour, so I just stopped. It was enough, anyway.
I thought I had created a problem for myself on Tuesday's run, though. Climbing up a slippery bank the second of three times I followed Howard's Trail, I slipped a little bit and twisted my knee. I walked a little to see if the pain would go away, and it did. But not totally. Several times I had a weird pain in my knee. It felt sort of like my kneecap slipped out of place and popped back in place very quickly. That happened 4 or 5 times. I kept running (I've said before that my main "lesson learned" about running injuries is that I'm better off just ignoring them. This probably just means I haven't had a real injury yet. I'm in no hurry. No hurry to have an injury, that is.) and the pain kept going away.
[Wicked is a great show. I've always liked Broadway. No, I'm not gay. Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel are both great, and Stephen Schwartz is great, and the story is great, and it's all, well, great.]
Then yesterday I was worried again that the knee would be a problem. Didn't turn out that way, though. Went 'round the lake with no trouble at all. It's always an effort to run 9 miles. But it's familiar effort. It really is fun. Once you get past the point where any running at all is really hard -- once you achieve a certain level of fitness -- it's fun. I think at least many people who are "scared" of running (and no, I'm not talking to any particular person here) should give it a try. It's hardest at first. That goes for each individual run, as well. Every time I go out, it's hardest for the first mile or 2 or 3. Then I "settle into a rhythm." The feet move, the arms move, the lungs move, and I enjoy it, partly for the running itself and partly because of my consciousness that I'm helping myself with every stride.
Way back when I started riding the bike (way back in 2000) the same thing was true. It took a while to get to a certain level of fitness, and then it was fun. I wonder if swimming would be the same way? I STILL haven't done anything about that. Stupid me.
I just deleted a whole paragraph I'd written about my feelings about riding and running. It sounded a little unseemly. I guess I will say, though, that I like riding and running and I like the fact that I can do it. If that doesn't make sense, that's OK. It makes sense to me.
And it's really, really late again. Seems like it's always late when I get this stuff typed.
'Nite.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Just a quickie...
All is well. The Levee Run times were posted on the DRC site. They put me at 50:30. Two seconds slower than I thought. Tragedy! ;-)
Interestingly, I would have finished higher ranked in some of the younger age groups. There seem to be disproportionately many fit men between 50 and 54 in the Dallas Running Club. Oh, well. I'll never be an age group winner. I was 6th out of 12, and the guy before my was almost two full minutes ahead. A big margin. If I were in the Male 35-39 age group, though, I'd have been 4th of 14. 30-34, 7th of 18. 20-24, 7th of 14. Interesting.
On another topic... Are y'all out there in blogland Ry Cooder fans? Just now listening to Tattler, on the Paradise and Lunch album. Cooder does such a great job with traditional music. And in "my" style. And I love Boomer's Story. Fantastic CD. But (having asked around) I'm forced to admit probably not for everyone. Why is that? How can you not love that music? I suppose not everyone can enjoy the same things. Their loss.
It is not my wish (changing topics again, as quick as a flash) to turn this blog into my personal political soapbox. Blogs like that mostly just sound pretentious, and generally don't strike me as particularly insightful. I hope you'll forgive my previous post with the Bush outburst. It can be tough to set aside all my political instincts. All the years (well, it was just 6, so perhaps "all the years" is excessive) I spent doing that stuff for a living seem to want to burst out of me sometimes. People know I'm a government instructor and worked for a Congressman, so I get asked 10 times a day who I'm going to vote for. Students pester me constantly. I always dodge. That's private, unless I want to go there. I do love criticizing, though! ;-) It's more fun to kvetch about what's wrong with all the candidates, isn't it? And there's plenty wrong with all of them. Unfortunately, it seems we have only humans from whom to choose. That makes it harder to achieve perfection.
Well, it's late again, and I need to go.
Has anyone out there seen Rashomon?
Interestingly, I would have finished higher ranked in some of the younger age groups. There seem to be disproportionately many fit men between 50 and 54 in the Dallas Running Club. Oh, well. I'll never be an age group winner. I was 6th out of 12, and the guy before my was almost two full minutes ahead. A big margin. If I were in the Male 35-39 age group, though, I'd have been 4th of 14. 30-34, 7th of 18. 20-24, 7th of 14. Interesting.
On another topic... Are y'all out there in blogland Ry Cooder fans? Just now listening to Tattler, on the Paradise and Lunch album. Cooder does such a great job with traditional music. And in "my" style. And I love Boomer's Story. Fantastic CD. But (having asked around) I'm forced to admit probably not for everyone. Why is that? How can you not love that music? I suppose not everyone can enjoy the same things. Their loss.
It is not my wish (changing topics again, as quick as a flash) to turn this blog into my personal political soapbox. Blogs like that mostly just sound pretentious, and generally don't strike me as particularly insightful. I hope you'll forgive my previous post with the Bush outburst. It can be tough to set aside all my political instincts. All the years (well, it was just 6, so perhaps "all the years" is excessive) I spent doing that stuff for a living seem to want to burst out of me sometimes. People know I'm a government instructor and worked for a Congressman, so I get asked 10 times a day who I'm going to vote for. Students pester me constantly. I always dodge. That's private, unless I want to go there. I do love criticizing, though! ;-) It's more fun to kvetch about what's wrong with all the candidates, isn't it? And there's plenty wrong with all of them. Unfortunately, it seems we have only humans from whom to choose. That makes it harder to achieve perfection.
Well, it's late again, and I need to go.
Has anyone out there seen Rashomon?
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Good day/Bad day
Well, my day started out great. I found Trammell Crow Lake easily enough and on time. Ready to volunteer at 6:45, as promised. Helped set up and run registration. Actually, after setting up tables and the awning, I mainly just handed out T-shirts. Then the run was really fun. It was just what I want those runs to be. Fast enough that I feel good about it, but not so much that I kill myself. Results are not posted yet, and because it was officially a City of Dallas event, I'm not even sure they will be. But as I came across the finish, it looked like I was at 50:28 (8:07 pace -- I'm getting to the point where I could maybe do a race like this in the 7s. That would be pretty cool. Actually I think I could do that now, but only at the cost of working too hard.). I'm happy with that. It's over a minute faster than the last timed 10K I did back in February. And this was on a rough gravel/dirt/mud surface having to run up and down the sides of the levee 4 times. If it had been flat on a hard surface I think I would have been under 50 minutes. That would have been fabulous.
A cool part of the day was that the race included a contest between cadets in the Dallas Police Academy and the Dallas Fire Department Academy. The cadets all ran the race. Then based on the top four male times and the top female time for Police and the same for Fire, they averaged the times to see who was the fastest. The Fire Department won. Boy, were they excited! And it was fun dealing with the cadets at registration. They seemed like a great group of people. Men and women, all colors, they were bright, seemed happy, called me "sir" (which I'm not sure I really like, but I know they meant well), and all-in-all seemed like they would be a positive addition to the public safety of Dallas.
I have to say that I've had several occasions to interact with Police officers in the last couple of years, and have heard stories from a couple of other people who've also had interactions of various kinds, and every one of these experiences has been entirely positive. At least in the sense of "reasonableness" and willingness to exercise judgment rather than leap to conclusions or be excessively deferential to "the book." Yes, I know about the "Fake Drug" scandal, which was atrocious, and I've read stories in the paper that tend to reflect poorly on the Police. But speaking personally, I have been very impressed by the maturity, level-headedness and professionalism of the officers I've had direct or even second-hand experience with.
Then, this afternoon, I went for a nice (but still cold) bike ride. More fun.
So that was the good day part. What was bad? I hate even to get into this. George Freakin' Bush. Vetoes a bill that would have outlawed torture. While in the same breath denying that "America tortures." I just don't know what to say. Except that George Bush needs to go away. He needs to put himself out of our misery. He's a disgrace. An unmitigated disaster. I'm just glad that I didn't hear his public statement. I'm afraid I would have thrown something at the radio. How does he rationalize this stuff?
The U.S. military banned waterboarding decades ago. In my class I show an image and talk about how the Army court martialed and dishonorably discharged several soldiers for waterboarding Viet Cong prisoners during the Viet Nam war. I'm convinced that George Bush simply does not have the intellectual capacity to understand the implications of things he does. Does anyone think that the Viet Nam era Army would have banned waterboarding -- regardless of its "distastefulness" -- if they believed it consistently produced useful intelligence? And....
Oh, well.... That's enough. Sorry. I'm going back to writing about running.
And I'm actually feeling a little better. Listening to Pepe Romero playing guitar transcriptions of Bach. He's so good. Both Romero and Bach.
One more thing: For a while I've been making these great fruit smoothies. Some fresh fruit and orange juice, some ice, blend it up and drink. Fabulous. But fresh fruit is so darned expensive. I've paid $2.75 for a tiny (I had written "tiny little" there, because it felt natural, but I decided it was redundant. I mean, it couldn't be "tiny big." Right?) container of blueberries. And I seem regularly to have to throw some of it away because it gets fuzzy before I use it. The other day, though, I had a brilliant, totally original, unique idea. How 'bout frozen fruit? MUCH cheaper and I never have to worry about using it in a frantic hurry. Brilliant, huh? And original, huh?
Don't forget to Spring Forward tonight!!
See y'all tomorrow.
A cool part of the day was that the race included a contest between cadets in the Dallas Police Academy and the Dallas Fire Department Academy. The cadets all ran the race. Then based on the top four male times and the top female time for Police and the same for Fire, they averaged the times to see who was the fastest. The Fire Department won. Boy, were they excited! And it was fun dealing with the cadets at registration. They seemed like a great group of people. Men and women, all colors, they were bright, seemed happy, called me "sir" (which I'm not sure I really like, but I know they meant well), and all-in-all seemed like they would be a positive addition to the public safety of Dallas.
I have to say that I've had several occasions to interact with Police officers in the last couple of years, and have heard stories from a couple of other people who've also had interactions of various kinds, and every one of these experiences has been entirely positive. At least in the sense of "reasonableness" and willingness to exercise judgment rather than leap to conclusions or be excessively deferential to "the book." Yes, I know about the "Fake Drug" scandal, which was atrocious, and I've read stories in the paper that tend to reflect poorly on the Police. But speaking personally, I have been very impressed by the maturity, level-headedness and professionalism of the officers I've had direct or even second-hand experience with.
Then, this afternoon, I went for a nice (but still cold) bike ride. More fun.
So that was the good day part. What was bad? I hate even to get into this. George Freakin' Bush. Vetoes a bill that would have outlawed torture. While in the same breath denying that "America tortures." I just don't know what to say. Except that George Bush needs to go away. He needs to put himself out of our misery. He's a disgrace. An unmitigated disaster. I'm just glad that I didn't hear his public statement. I'm afraid I would have thrown something at the radio. How does he rationalize this stuff?
The U.S. military banned waterboarding decades ago. In my class I show an image and talk about how the Army court martialed and dishonorably discharged several soldiers for waterboarding Viet Cong prisoners during the Viet Nam war. I'm convinced that George Bush simply does not have the intellectual capacity to understand the implications of things he does. Does anyone think that the Viet Nam era Army would have banned waterboarding -- regardless of its "distastefulness" -- if they believed it consistently produced useful intelligence? And....
Oh, well.... That's enough. Sorry. I'm going back to writing about running.
And I'm actually feeling a little better. Listening to Pepe Romero playing guitar transcriptions of Bach. He's so good. Both Romero and Bach.
One more thing: For a while I've been making these great fruit smoothies. Some fresh fruit and orange juice, some ice, blend it up and drink. Fabulous. But fresh fruit is so darned expensive. I've paid $2.75 for a tiny (I had written "tiny little" there, because it felt natural, but I decided it was redundant. I mean, it couldn't be "tiny big." Right?) container of blueberries. And I seem regularly to have to throw some of it away because it gets fuzzy before I use it. The other day, though, I had a brilliant, totally original, unique idea. How 'bout frozen fruit? MUCH cheaper and I never have to worry about using it in a frantic hurry. Brilliant, huh? And original, huh?
Don't forget to Spring Forward tonight!!
See y'all tomorrow.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Levee Run tomorrow
How long has it been since you listened to Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto? Well, that's too long. It had been a long time for me. Till just a few minutes ago, when it ended. It used to be one of my favorites. Still is. I'd just forgotten why.
I've said before that I'm a re-reader and a re-listener. I don't know what that says about me, if anything. (I actually have a couple of ideas that I'll keep to myself.) But when I listen to that Rachmaninoff I am sure that whatever else I could be listening to that I've never heard before, could not possibly be more enjoyable. Like Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, or Turandot, or Time Out, or even (to be at least marginally less an old fogey) James Taylor’s astounding new CD “One Man Band.” Yes, I know, even that is pretty fogeyish.
I know there’s a lot that I just don’t yet know I’d like to listen to. (If that sentence made any sense.) I just can’t conceive that I could enjoy it as much as the stuff I already know. Perhaps that simply means that I need a new person in my life to “force me” to listen to newer things. I don’t know. As I’m listening to the canned music at REI there is occasionally a song that strikes a chord with me. One recently was Patty Griffin singing “Oh Heavenly Day.” Now, I know that’s not exactly what my 24 year old colleagues are talking about when they tell me I should listen to newer music. But it was new to me, and I've now got the CD. And it's pretty fun.
Anyway, all of you out there should go right now and fire up "Rach 2" and give it a listen. I hope not for the first time. You'll be glad you did.
On to the title topic, though...
Tomorrow is the annual "Levee Run." We'll meet just on the southwest side of downtown and run a 10K loop on the levee tops. I've never done it, of course, but I'm looking forward to it. A little off-road running. Should also be notable because it's supposed to be in the mid to upper 20s at start time. And it will still be wet from the rain/snow in the last few days. Brrrr..... I'll definitely be wearing the tights. Not something anyone really wants to see (me in tights), but it's the price they have to pay. If I do say so myself, though, as bad as it is, me in tights is probably not the worst thing they'll see tomorrow. Some people dress (by my lights) completely inappropriately. One specific thing I’m talking about: I've definitely decided that men should be just as required to wear shirts as women are.
I don’t know really what shoes to wear. Not that it really matters, only running a 10K, but it will make a comfort difference. I think I’ll wear the Hardrocks, if that helps you. ;-)
Now, though, I really need to hit the hay. I’m volunteering for registration before the run, and have to be there at 6:45. And I don’t actually even know exactly where I supposed to meet. So I’ll leave early.
Hope I don’t freeze!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Ouch II
Don't ya love these sequel posts?
I can't raise my arm very well this morning. It's not "hurt." It's just bruised. And it's weird, because it's an invisible bruise. The way it feels, it should be all black and blue and purple. But none of that.
I was going to go for a ride this morning, because I don't have to be at work till 10:30, but I decided the responsible thing to do was stay home and do school work. So naturally, what am I doing? Reading about the election and now doing a blog post. I'd have been better off riding.
So, Hillary's staying in it because she thinks that although she'll lose the popular vote, she can get enough support from Superdelegates to win the nomination. That's the only thing she can be thinking. She can't possibly win it outright. There are not enough delegates left. Or, rather, it's not conceivable that she could win enough of the remaining delegates to win on the basis of pledged delegates. She thinks she'll lose, but win. Just like George Bush. (And no, I do not think he **really** lost the election. (All those people still bitterly claiming that Bush "stole" the 2000 election need to get a life and an education, or perhaps some objectivity, or at least some honesty (all those politicos who actually know Bush won, but are still stirring the pot for some imagined political advantage).) Bush did, however, receive fewer popular votes and yet won the election. Is it ironic that Clinton is now pursuing a strategy to accomplish what she and others castigated Bush for?
[It's always a little creepy typing things like that that smack of defending George Bush. But reality is reality.]
Oops. I'm about to be late. Gotta go.
I can't raise my arm very well this morning. It's not "hurt." It's just bruised. And it's weird, because it's an invisible bruise. The way it feels, it should be all black and blue and purple. But none of that.
I was going to go for a ride this morning, because I don't have to be at work till 10:30, but I decided the responsible thing to do was stay home and do school work. So naturally, what am I doing? Reading about the election and now doing a blog post. I'd have been better off riding.
So, Hillary's staying in it because she thinks that although she'll lose the popular vote, she can get enough support from Superdelegates to win the nomination. That's the only thing she can be thinking. She can't possibly win it outright. There are not enough delegates left. Or, rather, it's not conceivable that she could win enough of the remaining delegates to win on the basis of pledged delegates. She thinks she'll lose, but win. Just like George Bush. (And no, I do not think he **really** lost the election. (All those people still bitterly claiming that Bush "stole" the 2000 election need to get a life and an education, or perhaps some objectivity, or at least some honesty (all those politicos who actually know Bush won, but are still stirring the pot for some imagined political advantage).) Bush did, however, receive fewer popular votes and yet won the election. Is it ironic that Clinton is now pursuing a strategy to accomplish what she and others castigated Bush for?
[It's always a little creepy typing things like that that smack of defending George Bush. But reality is reality.]
Oops. I'm about to be late. Gotta go.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Ouch!
Well, I was off today after my classes this morning, so I went for another ride and run. It was going fine until it happened. I haven't had a fall in a long, long time. It's no fun to fall off the bike. The ground -- actually the pavement, of course -- is, if you hadn't noticed, hard. And falling on it hurts, as I was reminded today.
I was rolling along at the top of the Winsted hill recovering from the climb and looked down at my computer to check my heart rate. When I looked down I realized I was on the wrong page so I had to hit a button to get to the heart rate. I'd been telling myself for 3 weeks now that I need to reset the computer so that heart rate is on my main page, but hadn't done it. Anyway, while I was fiddling with the computer I lost track of how close I was getting to a car parked on the street. When I looked up I was right on top of it. I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel to avoid hitting. I didn't hit the car, but I did go over the handlebars of the bike -- I did an endo. I'm sure one of those ridiculous "Funniest Videos" TV shows would love to show the crash.
(I HATE those shows. I don't understand why people want to watch other people get hurt. Yes, I know I'm in the minority, and people call me a stick in the mud for not laughing at those things, but they just make me cringe. And yes, I've been told it (being entertained by the misfortune of others -- schadenfreude) is just a normal psychological reaction of relief that it's someone else getting hurt or humiliated. "It's not really malicious, and doesn't mean you're a bad person." But that doesn't make it OK. Not to me.)
Anyway, I went flying over the handlebars and came down hard on my right shoulder. Fortunately I didn't break anything. I've had two broken collarbones from similar crashes. This time I've just ended up with a sore shoulder, so far. It seems like I landed on the fleshy outer part of my shoulder (that's where it mostly hurts now) instead of the bony top. I think that's what saved me.
[Listening to Pandora's "Genre" station Classical: Choral, Baroque, and it's really good. Calm and well-performed so far. Whatever you may think of religion, one unquestionably positive impact it has had on the world is the wonderful music.]
I went ahead and finished the ride -- fortunately, the bike was OK as well -- and did the run I'd planned. The run started out really slowly, but I loosened up after a while. For the first mile I was afraid I was going to have to stop. It was 3 miles before I started feeling right. Falling is a shock, physical and emotional, and it's tough to recover. It's tough for me, anyway.
Remember my friend Chad? He raced bikes for 16 (??) years. Had numerous falls, of course. But about 2 years ago he was almost home after a long ride when he lost focus for an **instant** and caught his front tire in a crack and endoed. He wasn't really hurt, I'm glad to say. He didn't have to go to the hospital, anyway. But it really shook him up. And after spending decades riding his bike, he essentially quit. Because of that one crash. I suppose it was just one too many, and -- he says -- he's now "old" (he was, I think, 34 then). I guess the point is just that falling off a bike is tough on the body and the mind. Anyway......
On another topic.... Had a conversation with June yesterday, and she's slotted me in to a May Term class. I was glad. I'll be the only non-full-timer teaching in May Term. So I'll have a May Term and a Summer I class, but not a Summer II, at least not yet. I think that'll be OK. The income would be nice, but the time off will be nice, too.
Plus, I'm doing the AP Government and Politics exam reading this year. So, Spring ends on May 8th, May Term starts on May 12 (long weekend in between) and ends on Friday, May 30. I fly to Daytona Beach on that Sunday, June 1, and return on Monday, June 9, which is the first day of Summer I. So I'll miss the first day. I hope I don't get fired....
And I hope the AP thing is not too bad. We'll see about that. I was surprised they asked me after I backed out of doing it last year. It'll be an interesting experience, anyway.
And speaking of experiences, the experience I need now is sleep. I'm beat. I was up late last night watching election returns, and today ended up being a kind of hard day.
Till next time....
I was rolling along at the top of the Winsted hill recovering from the climb and looked down at my computer to check my heart rate. When I looked down I realized I was on the wrong page so I had to hit a button to get to the heart rate. I'd been telling myself for 3 weeks now that I need to reset the computer so that heart rate is on my main page, but hadn't done it. Anyway, while I was fiddling with the computer I lost track of how close I was getting to a car parked on the street. When I looked up I was right on top of it. I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel to avoid hitting. I didn't hit the car, but I did go over the handlebars of the bike -- I did an endo. I'm sure one of those ridiculous "Funniest Videos" TV shows would love to show the crash.
(I HATE those shows. I don't understand why people want to watch other people get hurt. Yes, I know I'm in the minority, and people call me a stick in the mud for not laughing at those things, but they just make me cringe. And yes, I've been told it (being entertained by the misfortune of others -- schadenfreude) is just a normal psychological reaction of relief that it's someone else getting hurt or humiliated. "It's not really malicious, and doesn't mean you're a bad person." But that doesn't make it OK. Not to me.)
Anyway, I went flying over the handlebars and came down hard on my right shoulder. Fortunately I didn't break anything. I've had two broken collarbones from similar crashes. This time I've just ended up with a sore shoulder, so far. It seems like I landed on the fleshy outer part of my shoulder (that's where it mostly hurts now) instead of the bony top. I think that's what saved me.
[Listening to Pandora's "Genre" station Classical: Choral, Baroque, and it's really good. Calm and well-performed so far. Whatever you may think of religion, one unquestionably positive impact it has had on the world is the wonderful music.]
I went ahead and finished the ride -- fortunately, the bike was OK as well -- and did the run I'd planned. The run started out really slowly, but I loosened up after a while. For the first mile I was afraid I was going to have to stop. It was 3 miles before I started feeling right. Falling is a shock, physical and emotional, and it's tough to recover. It's tough for me, anyway.
Remember my friend Chad? He raced bikes for 16 (??) years. Had numerous falls, of course. But about 2 years ago he was almost home after a long ride when he lost focus for an **instant** and caught his front tire in a crack and endoed. He wasn't really hurt, I'm glad to say. He didn't have to go to the hospital, anyway. But it really shook him up. And after spending decades riding his bike, he essentially quit. Because of that one crash. I suppose it was just one too many, and -- he says -- he's now "old" (he was, I think, 34 then). I guess the point is just that falling off a bike is tough on the body and the mind. Anyway......
On another topic.... Had a conversation with June yesterday, and she's slotted me in to a May Term class. I was glad. I'll be the only non-full-timer teaching in May Term. So I'll have a May Term and a Summer I class, but not a Summer II, at least not yet. I think that'll be OK. The income would be nice, but the time off will be nice, too.
Plus, I'm doing the AP Government and Politics exam reading this year. So, Spring ends on May 8th, May Term starts on May 12 (long weekend in between) and ends on Friday, May 30. I fly to Daytona Beach on that Sunday, June 1, and return on Monday, June 9, which is the first day of Summer I. So I'll miss the first day. I hope I don't get fired....
And I hope the AP thing is not too bad. We'll see about that. I was surprised they asked me after I backed out of doing it last year. It'll be an interesting experience, anyway.
And speaking of experiences, the experience I need now is sleep. I'm beat. I was up late last night watching election returns, and today ended up being a kind of hard day.
Till next time....
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Election (primary) Day II
Well, I've voted and caucused. McCain has won all the elections on offer, and Huckabee has dropped out. At this red hot moment, Obama has won Vermont and Clinton has won Rhode Island, and Ohio and Texas have not yet been called by the networks. (Though Hillary is way ahead in Ohio and Barack is marginally ahead in Texas.)
McCain is making what is sounding like a pretty good speech. I kind of like it, because he's being moderate.
Huh? He just said "We are the captains of our fate." What was the name of the poem? I was raised in a church where it was preached that "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul" was evil. (I may have masters and captains mixed up there....)
OK. Sorry. I had to go look up Invictus. I hope that doesn't make me seem illiterate. Just couldn't remember the name of the poem. And I had masters and captains right, by the way.
[Vince Guaraldi -- "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing" -- there's a LOT of great music out there.]
Anyway, back in Memphis, TN, preachers used that poem as an example of godlessness. I suppose I'm too sensitive -- does anyone else out there have a similar experience? -- but I think that may not be the best line for McCain to be using. Sort of like when George Bush 41 talked in a speech or two about creating a "new world order" as if he didn't understand that his most conservative supporters rail against exactly that, and suspected GB was part of the global Illuminati/Bildergerger/UN/NWO/CFR, etc. conspiracy all along.
Another delay....
I just googled and learned that McCain has been using that line regularly in his speeches. I can **guarantee** you that some of Huckabee's continuing support has been among people who think McCain is a heathen because of using that line.
OMG!! ;-) (Does saying "OMG" make me seem young?) I just looked at results, and Clinton has pulled ahead of Obama in Texas. They've called Ohio for her. According to a map on CNN, it looks like in Texas, Obama has won Dallas, Austin and Houston, and Clinton has won almost everything else.
I just don't know what to think. It's going to be a dead heat for the Dems after tonight. Even deader than it was before. How are they going to choose their candidate? Can they REALLY go all the way to the convention without a candidate? No Way!! Fascinating. But neither of them is taking control yet. Clinton today was making big noise about Obama's Canada screw-up. Obama is not looking nearly as good as he was just a few days ago. Either as a candidate or as a president. Stick around. There are going to be lots of fireworks before Barack or Hillary bows out.
McCain is making what is sounding like a pretty good speech. I kind of like it, because he's being moderate.
Huh? He just said "We are the captains of our fate." What was the name of the poem? I was raised in a church where it was preached that "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul" was evil. (I may have masters and captains mixed up there....)
OK. Sorry. I had to go look up Invictus. I hope that doesn't make me seem illiterate. Just couldn't remember the name of the poem. And I had masters and captains right, by the way.
[Vince Guaraldi -- "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing" -- there's a LOT of great music out there.]
Anyway, back in Memphis, TN, preachers used that poem as an example of godlessness. I suppose I'm too sensitive -- does anyone else out there have a similar experience? -- but I think that may not be the best line for McCain to be using. Sort of like when George Bush 41 talked in a speech or two about creating a "new world order" as if he didn't understand that his most conservative supporters rail against exactly that, and suspected GB was part of the global Illuminati/Bildergerger/UN/NWO/CFR, etc. conspiracy all along.
Another delay....
I just googled and learned that McCain has been using that line regularly in his speeches. I can **guarantee** you that some of Huckabee's continuing support has been among people who think McCain is a heathen because of using that line.
OMG!! ;-) (Does saying "OMG" make me seem young?) I just looked at results, and Clinton has pulled ahead of Obama in Texas. They've called Ohio for her. According to a map on CNN, it looks like in Texas, Obama has won Dallas, Austin and Houston, and Clinton has won almost everything else.
I just don't know what to think. It's going to be a dead heat for the Dems after tonight. Even deader than it was before. How are they going to choose their candidate? Can they REALLY go all the way to the convention without a candidate? No Way!! Fascinating. But neither of them is taking control yet. Clinton today was making big noise about Obama's Canada screw-up. Obama is not looking nearly as good as he was just a few days ago. Either as a candidate or as a president. Stick around. There are going to be lots of fireworks before Barack or Hillary bows out.
Election (primary) Day
Well, I hope all of you out there in blogland have voted and are planning to attend your precinct convention/caucus this evening. It's less important for those of you who are Republicans, but still something you should do. For Democrats, though, it's an absolutely critical part of the process. Really it's almost as important as voting in the first place. Up to 25% of the total delegate allocation is determined in the caucuses. You've really got to represent your candidate.
I'm just leaving for the caucus now. I'll report in after I return.
And, just for the record, I think even if Clinton loses Texas and Ohio, she's not dropping out yet. Even though most of the commentators are saying it's all or nothing today. My sense is that they're wrong. We may or may not find out if I'm right....
I'm just leaving for the caucus now. I'll report in after I return.
And, just for the record, I think even if Clinton loses Texas and Ohio, she's not dropping out yet. Even though most of the commentators are saying it's all or nothing today. My sense is that they're wrong. We may or may not find out if I'm right....
Monday, March 3, 2008
Snow!
It's snowing outside. What's up with that? It's not supposed to snow in Dallas in March. But it's OK. I'm inside where it's warm. Sitting here listening to Dave van Ronk sing "Sunday Street," eating a bowl of Cinnamon Life cereal (one of my favorite guilty pleasures) and drinking an espresso (decaf). What more could a guy want?
And I've got a new weird project. Maybe project is the wrong word. It's more like an experiment. If it works the way it **could** it'll be a surprise and a real boon. What is it? Well, I think I'll keep my powder dry on that for a little while. Somehow it feels right to be mysterious with the snow falling and Dave growling.
Looking forward to primary day tomorrow. Has everyone out there selected their candidate? Is everyone planning to go to their precinct convention? (That's an important event, which is usually more or less ignored, till this year when Obama and Clinton both need delegates.)
I think I'm going to go spend some time on this new deal. Probably a total waste. But stranger things have happened....
(Interesting to hear Dave van Ronk singing "Matchbox," which I learned 40 years ago as a Beatles song. It sounds different now.)
Stay warm.
And I've got a new weird project. Maybe project is the wrong word. It's more like an experiment. If it works the way it **could** it'll be a surprise and a real boon. What is it? Well, I think I'll keep my powder dry on that for a little while. Somehow it feels right to be mysterious with the snow falling and Dave growling.
Looking forward to primary day tomorrow. Has everyone out there selected their candidate? Is everyone planning to go to their precinct convention? (That's an important event, which is usually more or less ignored, till this year when Obama and Clinton both need delegates.)
I think I'm going to go spend some time on this new deal. Probably a total waste. But stranger things have happened....
(Interesting to hear Dave van Ronk singing "Matchbox," which I learned 40 years ago as a Beatles song. It sounds different now.)
Stay warm.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tired, and a little soreish
I guess "soreish" is probably not a word, huh? Too bad. Language evolves. And you're now a witness. Don't scoff. Show some respect for my achievement in evolving the language. And don't tell me "evolving" can't be used in that sense. Language evolves. And you're a witness now, twice in one paragraph! Pretty special!
Perhaps I should be more respectful of my students. They're constantly evolving the language in the most remarkable and unpredictable ways! I've always thought they were simply illiterate. All the time, though, they've just been actively evolving the language.
Anyway, today was a pretty hard day. Had class, spent several hours grading and writing assignments and planning my new Conspiracy Theories course for this fall, and then went for a ride and run. Did 30 miles bike and 9 miles run again. At the end I was a good bit more tired than I usually am at the end of that workout. Must have been bad biorhythms.
Does anyone other than me still talk about "biorhythms?" That used to be a regular topic of discussion. But I don't think I've heard anyone talk about it for years. Anyone other than me, that is. I'm probably just not paying attention, though.
[excuse me for a minute....]
Oops. I'm embarrassed. I've never really thought in detail about biorhythms -- what people say they are. I've always thought the notion seemed reasonable. So many things in life and the world are cyclic (cyclical?)(went and looked it up -- synonyms, except that it seems cyclical is apparently more frequently used with respect to economic or financial cycles).
Anyway, I went (when I excused myself) to Google to look up Biorhythms. The first hit was for "Biorhythms Plus! 2008" software. Unfortunately, although the software was described as outlining everything you need to know about your biorhythms, which would have been OK, it also said it has info you need about astrology and numerology. Astrology and Numerology. Right there with biorhythms. Are biorhythms really on the same level as astrology and numerology?
Next stop? Where else but Wikipedia? Fascinating! Apparently biorhythms is pure bunkum, but there's a "legitimate" branch of science called "chronobiology" -- the study of biological cycles. Long term cycles like migration, reproduction and menstruation, and short term cycles like REM sleep, and the "nasal cycle," whatever that is.
So all this time I've talked about biorhythms, but perhaps I've actually meant chronobiology.
I didn't read enough to know whether science approves of my impression that I'm "with it" more on some days than others, even when I've had similar amounts of sleep and stress. That's what I've meant by biorhythms all these years. Today was definitely a down day, chronobiologically. ;-)
Or perhaps I just didn't eat right over the last 36 hours. I definitely know what I eat makes a huge difference in how I feel when I run or ride. I never noticed it as much when I was just biking, because -- I think -- running is harder (you can coast on a bike).
[Listening to Turandot. Love opera. What I mean is that I love opera. Not that Turandot is a love opera. But actually Turandot **is** a love opera. So I guess I meant that, too.]
[Now that I think about it, pretty much ALL operas are love operas.]
[Opera also is a bike brand. A spinoff of Pinarello. Beautiful bikes. If you haven't looked at high-end bikes lately, they are becoming almost works of art as much as functional machines. (Don't believe me? Go look up the Pinarello Montello FM1, and try to tell me it doesn't look like a piece of sculpture.) I really want a good bike. The problem is that it's gonna cost me thousands of dollars to get a bike that I really want. Can't justify that right now.]
And speaking of eating, I used the last of my Bragg's Aminos today when I was George Foremaning my chicken for lunch. (I love verbing words.) Gotta get more Bragg's. It's the best. Thanks to some friend of mine (who was that?) who introduced me to Bragg's. ;-)
But now it's really late and I've got to do a training session early tomorrow morning. So it's bye-bye blogland, hello slumberland.
Perhaps I should be more respectful of my students. They're constantly evolving the language in the most remarkable and unpredictable ways! I've always thought they were simply illiterate. All the time, though, they've just been actively evolving the language.
Anyway, today was a pretty hard day. Had class, spent several hours grading and writing assignments and planning my new Conspiracy Theories course for this fall, and then went for a ride and run. Did 30 miles bike and 9 miles run again. At the end I was a good bit more tired than I usually am at the end of that workout. Must have been bad biorhythms.
Does anyone other than me still talk about "biorhythms?" That used to be a regular topic of discussion. But I don't think I've heard anyone talk about it for years. Anyone other than me, that is. I'm probably just not paying attention, though.
[excuse me for a minute....]
Oops. I'm embarrassed. I've never really thought in detail about biorhythms -- what people say they are. I've always thought the notion seemed reasonable. So many things in life and the world are cyclic (cyclical?)(went and looked it up -- synonyms, except that it seems cyclical is apparently more frequently used with respect to economic or financial cycles).
Anyway, I went (when I excused myself) to Google to look up Biorhythms. The first hit was for "Biorhythms Plus! 2008" software. Unfortunately, although the software was described as outlining everything you need to know about your biorhythms, which would have been OK, it also said it has info you need about astrology and numerology. Astrology and Numerology. Right there with biorhythms. Are biorhythms really on the same level as astrology and numerology?
Next stop? Where else but Wikipedia? Fascinating! Apparently biorhythms is pure bunkum, but there's a "legitimate" branch of science called "chronobiology" -- the study of biological cycles. Long term cycles like migration, reproduction and menstruation, and short term cycles like REM sleep, and the "nasal cycle," whatever that is.
So all this time I've talked about biorhythms, but perhaps I've actually meant chronobiology.
I didn't read enough to know whether science approves of my impression that I'm "with it" more on some days than others, even when I've had similar amounts of sleep and stress. That's what I've meant by biorhythms all these years. Today was definitely a down day, chronobiologically. ;-)
Or perhaps I just didn't eat right over the last 36 hours. I definitely know what I eat makes a huge difference in how I feel when I run or ride. I never noticed it as much when I was just biking, because -- I think -- running is harder (you can coast on a bike).
[Listening to Turandot. Love opera. What I mean is that I love opera. Not that Turandot is a love opera. But actually Turandot **is** a love opera. So I guess I meant that, too.]
[Now that I think about it, pretty much ALL operas are love operas.]
[Opera also is a bike brand. A spinoff of Pinarello. Beautiful bikes. If you haven't looked at high-end bikes lately, they are becoming almost works of art as much as functional machines. (Don't believe me? Go look up the Pinarello Montello FM1, and try to tell me it doesn't look like a piece of sculpture.) I really want a good bike. The problem is that it's gonna cost me thousands of dollars to get a bike that I really want. Can't justify that right now.]
And speaking of eating, I used the last of my Bragg's Aminos today when I was George Foremaning my chicken for lunch. (I love verbing words.) Gotta get more Bragg's. It's the best. Thanks to some friend of mine (who was that?) who introduced me to Bragg's. ;-)
But now it's really late and I've got to do a training session early tomorrow morning. So it's bye-bye blogland, hello slumberland.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thanks!
For all of my loyal readers out there, I'm sure you've noticed the new banner at the head of the page. It certainly adds pizazz to what was otherwise a really boring page. Of course, if you make the mistake of actually reading the blog, you'll get a real lesson in boring. The writing made the design seem absolutely scintillating!
But now, thanks to my friend Jennifer, I have a new banner atop the page. It looks like a marathon blog header ought to look: someone (in this case, me) coming across the finish line at a marathon. Jennifer applied her estimable artistic talents to the problem of Photoshopping (the blog is red-underlining that word, but how else would you spell that tense (progressive tense--I just took a minute to look it up)(sorry for the delay) of the verb "to Photoshop?") my picture to make it usable. (I hope I had enough nested parentheses there to confuse you adequately.)
[If any of you out there still have not taken the time to listen to Roscoe Holcomb, you really need to get with it. Granted, he's not for all the time, even for me. Perhaps even an acquired taste. But he's an important part of American musical culture. One of the original "high lonesome" bluegrass artists. Or at least one of the originals in my experience. I actually know almost nothing about bluegrass history.]
In any event, thanks for your help with the banner, Jennifer.
[We're having up to 40 MPH wind gusts outside right now. It's a little frightening. My run in the morning is going to be a challenge.]
For now, though, I'll say goodnight. Perhaps next post I'll go back to imparting wisdom. Maybe 2 items for now, though....
1. Hillary is almost toast. She's in the slot and the plunger is halfway down. And she's feeling it. And it's going to get a lot uglier before March 4.
2. Smartwool socks are far and away the best socks out there. Get some. You'll see.
But now, thanks to my friend Jennifer, I have a new banner atop the page. It looks like a marathon blog header ought to look: someone (in this case, me) coming across the finish line at a marathon. Jennifer applied her estimable artistic talents to the problem of Photoshopping (the blog is red-underlining that word, but how else would you spell that tense (progressive tense--I just took a minute to look it up)(sorry for the delay) of the verb "to Photoshop?") my picture to make it usable. (I hope I had enough nested parentheses there to confuse you adequately.)
[If any of you out there still have not taken the time to listen to Roscoe Holcomb, you really need to get with it. Granted, he's not for all the time, even for me. Perhaps even an acquired taste. But he's an important part of American musical culture. One of the original "high lonesome" bluegrass artists. Or at least one of the originals in my experience. I actually know almost nothing about bluegrass history.]
In any event, thanks for your help with the banner, Jennifer.
[We're having up to 40 MPH wind gusts outside right now. It's a little frightening. My run in the morning is going to be a challenge.]
For now, though, I'll say goodnight. Perhaps next post I'll go back to imparting wisdom. Maybe 2 items for now, though....
1. Hillary is almost toast. She's in the slot and the plunger is halfway down. And she's feeling it. And it's going to get a lot uglier before March 4.
2. Smartwool socks are far and away the best socks out there. Get some. You'll see.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Second post today....
[Warning! This is an "old school" post where I whine a little and talk about stuff I've already talked about a dozen times, till anyone reading it is going to say "Patrick, just get over it!" But that kind of reflection (that's what it is....) is the reason I started this stupid blog in the first place.]
Gee. I'm feeling kinda fatigued. No surprise, I guess. It's been a busy day, starting at 4 a.m., when I had to get up to make my carpool.
As I was riding I was thinking about the run. The same thoughts keep coming up. I did a 1:52 today. And I did it without really pushing myself. It would be cool to finish in under 1:50, and I am pretty sure I could have done that today, in spite of the hills and the wind, but I wouldn't have been as comfortable. I know it doesn't matter. It really doesn't. But, then again, it kinda does. Here's the deal: I want to have cool fast times, but I want to do it without having to push myself so hard that I don't have as much fun running. I'm afraid those are mutually exclusive goals. One of the guys with us today ran a 1:33. That kind of time is forever out of reach. And I don't regret that. If I'd started running when I was in my teens, the way he did (he's now 28), I'd be (or at least would have been) going that fast, too. The thing is: there are some sort of "barrier" times that it's sort of cool to be under. And 1:50 is one of those times for the half marathon. If you can run in the 1:40s you're kind of "one of the fast people."
I think the end of this is going to be that as I run more, 2 things will happen: 1) I'll naturally get faster, at least for a while, so some of those faster times will just naturally happen, and 2) I'll get over being a new runner, and I'll stop thinking about times as much. I'll just run for fun and not worry about it. That's not quite where I am yet.
OK. That's going to be all for tonight. Sorry for the boring post. (not that anyone is going to read this anyway, of course......)
Later --
Gee. I'm feeling kinda fatigued. No surprise, I guess. It's been a busy day, starting at 4 a.m., when I had to get up to make my carpool.
As I was riding I was thinking about the run. The same thoughts keep coming up. I did a 1:52 today. And I did it without really pushing myself. It would be cool to finish in under 1:50, and I am pretty sure I could have done that today, in spite of the hills and the wind, but I wouldn't have been as comfortable. I know it doesn't matter. It really doesn't. But, then again, it kinda does. Here's the deal: I want to have cool fast times, but I want to do it without having to push myself so hard that I don't have as much fun running. I'm afraid those are mutually exclusive goals. One of the guys with us today ran a 1:33. That kind of time is forever out of reach. And I don't regret that. If I'd started running when I was in my teens, the way he did (he's now 28), I'd be (or at least would have been) going that fast, too. The thing is: there are some sort of "barrier" times that it's sort of cool to be under. And 1:50 is one of those times for the half marathon. If you can run in the 1:40s you're kind of "one of the fast people."
I think the end of this is going to be that as I run more, 2 things will happen: 1) I'll naturally get faster, at least for a while, so some of those faster times will just naturally happen, and 2) I'll get over being a new runner, and I'll stop thinking about times as much. I'll just run for fun and not worry about it. That's not quite where I am yet.
OK. That's going to be all for tonight. Sorry for the boring post. (not that anyone is going to read this anyway, of course......)
Later --
The Cowtown
Well, I went to Fort Worth this morning and ran in the Cowtown Half Marathon. It was actually a pretty fun run, in spite of the hills, the wind and the chill. I did it just the way I want to: not running so hard that I'm uncomfortable, but not running so slowly that I don't feel good about it.
The fact that I ran "within myself" the entire race and still finished 4 minutes ahead of my time at the DRC Half shows how far I've come, fitness-wise. All my miles were sub-9 minute. I finished in 1:52:42, for an 8:36 pace. That was 22nd out of 86 finishers in my age group, 348th out of 1068 males and 451st out of 2033 total finishers. Times and placings are interesting, but the important thing is that I really felt good for the whole time. I've said my goal is to finish a sub-4 hour marathon this year, and I think I'm well on my way. If I were able to finish a full marathon in that same pace (I won't) I would run a 3:45 marathon. Perhaps by November, when I run the San Antonio Rock N' Roll Marathon, I'll be able comfortably to finish a sub-4. I'd like to be able to do it without totally making a mess of myself. We'll see....
A really fun thing about today was that I carpooled with 3 other guys to Fort Worth. I didn't know any of them before today, though I'd seen them hanging around at DRC training runs. We had a good time in the car talking about stuff. One guy is a former Marine who was in Iraq for the first Gulf War. He had some stories to tell. Interestingly, he was a Marine actually in the war for 3 months, and never fired a round from his rifle, he said. He said "the action" was always over a hill somewhere or by the time his squad got to the fight, the shooting was over ("I never thought anyone could be so anxious to surrender."). He also said he was just as glad it turned out that way, because he was "scared shitless" the whole time he was there. Anyway, by the time we got back to Dallas, they had all promised to come to REI to look at bikes!
We tried to go to Joe T. Garcia's after the run, but they weren't open yet. So we went across the street to Esmerelda's or Esperanza's or something like that. Owned by the same family as Joe T's. There was a bit of a line to get a table, and I solidified my friendship with the guys by bringing back a round of beer after my trip to the potty. Run a half marathon and stand in line at Estancia's (??) and have a beer at 10 a.m. What better way to spend the morning? And the migas was great.
I've got some grading still to do, but I think before I start I'm going to do a little bike ride. I don't **need** to do it, and I'm feeling a little tired, and it's still a little cool and windy, but I really feel like riding. So I'll just go and take it easy. Do just a couple of laps. This will have been my hardest training week by far. At least since the marathon. I will have done about 39 miles running and 50 miles riding. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I had any weeks that long even when I was training for the marathon. I'll take it easy next week. I don't want to overdo too much. That's how injuries happen, they say. In spite of all my aches and pains I've "suffered through," I haven't had any real injuries. I hope to keep it that way as long as possible. I suppose injuries are inevitable -- everyone says so. But I can do my best to limit them. Probably the best way is to continue to run as much as I can at Richland and Brookhaven, for the soft surfaces. I need to remind myself of that.
No politics in this post. Maybe later. Obama and Clinton are really going after each other now. I've been talking to people about going to their precinct conventions. Does everyone out there in blogland know they need to do that?
Going for a ride now. See ya later....
The fact that I ran "within myself" the entire race and still finished 4 minutes ahead of my time at the DRC Half shows how far I've come, fitness-wise. All my miles were sub-9 minute. I finished in 1:52:42, for an 8:36 pace. That was 22nd out of 86 finishers in my age group, 348th out of 1068 males and 451st out of 2033 total finishers. Times and placings are interesting, but the important thing is that I really felt good for the whole time. I've said my goal is to finish a sub-4 hour marathon this year, and I think I'm well on my way. If I were able to finish a full marathon in that same pace (I won't) I would run a 3:45 marathon. Perhaps by November, when I run the San Antonio Rock N' Roll Marathon, I'll be able comfortably to finish a sub-4. I'd like to be able to do it without totally making a mess of myself. We'll see....
A really fun thing about today was that I carpooled with 3 other guys to Fort Worth. I didn't know any of them before today, though I'd seen them hanging around at DRC training runs. We had a good time in the car talking about stuff. One guy is a former Marine who was in Iraq for the first Gulf War. He had some stories to tell. Interestingly, he was a Marine actually in the war for 3 months, and never fired a round from his rifle, he said. He said "the action" was always over a hill somewhere or by the time his squad got to the fight, the shooting was over ("I never thought anyone could be so anxious to surrender."). He also said he was just as glad it turned out that way, because he was "scared shitless" the whole time he was there. Anyway, by the time we got back to Dallas, they had all promised to come to REI to look at bikes!
We tried to go to Joe T. Garcia's after the run, but they weren't open yet. So we went across the street to Esmerelda's or Esperanza's or something like that. Owned by the same family as Joe T's. There was a bit of a line to get a table, and I solidified my friendship with the guys by bringing back a round of beer after my trip to the potty. Run a half marathon and stand in line at Estancia's (??) and have a beer at 10 a.m. What better way to spend the morning? And the migas was great.
I've got some grading still to do, but I think before I start I'm going to do a little bike ride. I don't **need** to do it, and I'm feeling a little tired, and it's still a little cool and windy, but I really feel like riding. So I'll just go and take it easy. Do just a couple of laps. This will have been my hardest training week by far. At least since the marathon. I will have done about 39 miles running and 50 miles riding. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I had any weeks that long even when I was training for the marathon. I'll take it easy next week. I don't want to overdo too much. That's how injuries happen, they say. In spite of all my aches and pains I've "suffered through," I haven't had any real injuries. I hope to keep it that way as long as possible. I suppose injuries are inevitable -- everyone says so. But I can do my best to limit them. Probably the best way is to continue to run as much as I can at Richland and Brookhaven, for the soft surfaces. I need to remind myself of that.
No politics in this post. Maybe later. Obama and Clinton are really going after each other now. I've been talking to people about going to their precinct conventions. Does everyone out there in blogland know they need to do that?
Going for a ride now. See ya later....
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
My weight
OK, all of you out there in Blogland, do I **really** look "emaciated?"
Aren't "emaciated" and "sick" the same thing? Do I really look sick?
Ron, a friend here at REI, told me this afternoon he thinks I look like I've been sick. That officially makes 3 people in the last 3 days who've told me I look either emaciated or sick. I don't think I look that way (that bad). In fact, I think I could stand to (read: would like to) lose a few more pounds. Not a lot more. But I've kinda been thinking I'd like to get down to 190. According to the National Institutes of Health, a 6' 3" person who weighs 197 has a BMI of 24.6. That's me. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is "Normal," according to the NIH. A weight of 200 pounds at 6' 3" gives a BMI of 25, which is officially overweight. According to the chart.
When I started running last April I was 232. "The Chart" said that was a BMI of 29, which is not far from 30, at which point one is "Obese."
Now I'm not saying I think "the chart" is the gospel or that the same parameters apply to everyone. I really am "big-boned" if anyone on the planet is. And I'm fairly athletic -- probably more than the average person. So my "real" (I'm having a "great time" using "quote marks" in this "post"...) ideal weight may well be something different from the average population. Or maybe not.
I do know one thing, though. The less I weigh the easier it is to ride the bike and to run. Those are good things, aren't they? I really don't think I'm making myself sick. I'm certainly not depriving myself. I'm eating plenty, and plenty of variety. Healthier, I think, than I've eaten in a long time, and perhaps the healthiest ever.
I have to admit, though, that being told I look sick 3 times in 3 days has gotten my attention. I'm just not quite sure what to do -- if anything -- with the information. In part, I'm hopeful that it's simply people who are accustomed to seeing me a lot heavier saying I look different, and illness is one of the common ways people lose a lot of weight. So even if I really look healthy, they associate illness with weight loss, so therefore I look sick.
It's late again. Seems like it is every night.
G'night Chet. G'night David.
Now I'm not saying I think "the chart" is the gospel or that the same parameters apply to everyone. I really am "big-boned" if anyone on the planet is. And I'm fairly athletic -- probably more than the average person. So my "real" (I'm having a "great time" using "quote marks" in this "post"...) ideal weight may well be something different from the average population. Or maybe not.
I do know one thing, though. The less I weigh the easier it is to ride the bike and to run. Those are good things, aren't they? I really don't think I'm making myself sick. I'm certainly not depriving myself. I'm eating plenty, and plenty of variety. Healthier, I think, than I've eaten in a long time, and perhaps the healthiest ever.
I have to admit, though, that being told I look sick 3 times in 3 days has gotten my attention. I'm just not quite sure what to do -- if anything -- with the information. In part, I'm hopeful that it's simply people who are accustomed to seeing me a lot heavier saying I look different, and illness is one of the common ways people lose a lot of weight. So even if I really look healthy, they associate illness with weight loss, so therefore I look sick.
It's late again. Seems like it is every night.
G'night Chet. G'night David.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Running in your mind
I went out today and did a little over 30 miles on the bike and then ran 15K. It was OK up till the end, when I ran into a little problem: the wind.
Starting in mile 2, I had decided to run all 9+ miles under 9 minutes pace. That's a pretty fast pace for me. I was fine until mile 7, when I spent an inordinate amount of time heading into a pretty stuff wind. When the Forerunner beeped at the end of the mile, I looked down and I'd done a 9:01 mile. I was pretty ticked.
(Anyone out there who loves James Horner's soundtracks, as I do, has *got* to have Legends of the Fall. It's amazing. Gorgeous. Accessible without being treacly. (Treacly like, for example, The Irish Tenors, which I like, but can't listen to too often or in public.) I've also got Field of Dreams, Braveheart, Titanic and Spitfire Grill. There are a lot more, and I'm sure I'd enjoy most of them.) Sorry for the interruption....
It ended up being educational, though. Because I got kind of discouraged, and mile 8 went 9:17. Then I went from discouraged to mad, because I hadn't intended to slow down. Mental state makes so much difference. I'd gone 9:17 not realizing I'd slowed. Mile 9 was 8:37, because I was focused again. The wind sucks the energy right out of you. And you've got to be careful not to let it affect your mental state. Running is not all in the lungs and the legs. As with any endeavor, I guess, it's very much in your head.
And speaking of mental states, how 'bout the states of Wisconsin and Washington (Hawaii doesn't stop voting for a couple of hours yet)? Obama totally spanked Clinton in WI, and McCain totally spanked Huckabee in WI and WA. Obama will increase his lead by 10 or 12 delegates, and McCain will do much better than that (Dem primaries are mostly proportional, and Rep primaries are mostly winner-take-all).
If Huckabee doesn't drop out after these two primaries, he starts to look like he's just in it out of spite. Those conservative Republicans are looking pretty stupid right now. They've got to know they have very little chance to win in November in any case, as unpopular as Bush and national Republicans are right now. But Huckabee is not dropping out even though he's got about 220 delegates to McCain's 930. It takes fewer than 1200 to win. So McCain could sleepwalk through the rest of the primaries and still win. So why is Huckabee still hanging around? He's been listening to Rush Limbaugh, who -- as bad as he always is -- has gone completely off the deep end against McCain.
If you want a Republican to win in November, you've gotta be at least scratching your head over why those guys are behaving that way.
If you want a Democrat to win in November, you've gotta be laughing all the way to the bank. (But the Dems are not without their problems, too. If March 4 doesn't settle it, and I do not think it will, Obama and Clinton could be sniping at each other all the way to the convention. It could get ugly. And in a normal year (if such a thing exists -- though with Bush at 30% approval, it's certainly not normal this year) the Dems would be making it almost impossible for themselves to win.
It's way too late for me to be typing. Later....
Starting in mile 2, I had decided to run all 9+ miles under 9 minutes pace. That's a pretty fast pace for me. I was fine until mile 7, when I spent an inordinate amount of time heading into a pretty stuff wind. When the Forerunner beeped at the end of the mile, I looked down and I'd done a 9:01 mile. I was pretty ticked.
(Anyone out there who loves James Horner's soundtracks, as I do, has *got* to have Legends of the Fall. It's amazing. Gorgeous. Accessible without being treacly. (Treacly like, for example, The Irish Tenors, which I like, but can't listen to too often or in public.) I've also got Field of Dreams, Braveheart, Titanic and Spitfire Grill. There are a lot more, and I'm sure I'd enjoy most of them.) Sorry for the interruption....
It ended up being educational, though. Because I got kind of discouraged, and mile 8 went 9:17. Then I went from discouraged to mad, because I hadn't intended to slow down. Mental state makes so much difference. I'd gone 9:17 not realizing I'd slowed. Mile 9 was 8:37, because I was focused again. The wind sucks the energy right out of you. And you've got to be careful not to let it affect your mental state. Running is not all in the lungs and the legs. As with any endeavor, I guess, it's very much in your head.
And speaking of mental states, how 'bout the states of Wisconsin and Washington (Hawaii doesn't stop voting for a couple of hours yet)? Obama totally spanked Clinton in WI, and McCain totally spanked Huckabee in WI and WA. Obama will increase his lead by 10 or 12 delegates, and McCain will do much better than that (Dem primaries are mostly proportional, and Rep primaries are mostly winner-take-all).
If Huckabee doesn't drop out after these two primaries, he starts to look like he's just in it out of spite. Those conservative Republicans are looking pretty stupid right now. They've got to know they have very little chance to win in November in any case, as unpopular as Bush and national Republicans are right now. But Huckabee is not dropping out even though he's got about 220 delegates to McCain's 930. It takes fewer than 1200 to win. So McCain could sleepwalk through the rest of the primaries and still win. So why is Huckabee still hanging around? He's been listening to Rush Limbaugh, who -- as bad as he always is -- has gone completely off the deep end against McCain.
If you want a Republican to win in November, you've gotta be at least scratching your head over why those guys are behaving that way.
If you want a Democrat to win in November, you've gotta be laughing all the way to the bank. (But the Dems are not without their problems, too. If March 4 doesn't settle it, and I do not think it will, Obama and Clinton could be sniping at each other all the way to the convention. It could get ugly. And in a normal year (if such a thing exists -- though with Bush at 30% approval, it's certainly not normal this year) the Dems would be making it almost impossible for themselves to win.
It's way too late for me to be typing. Later....
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Perhaps my worstest post ever
I hate the word (???) "worser." I've seen it twice on papers I've received on my students' current assignment.
None of them -- well, maybe 5 of my 85 or so students -- could write their way out of (some metaphorical place).
(INCREDIBLE thunder outside!!! I guess maybe I should turn off this computer. But I won't.)
They can't write. They can't follow the simplest and most often repeated (and, of course, written in the syllabus) instructions. They don't seem to care, even having been reminded several times over several days, that attendance -- or the lack thereof -- is going to have a direct bearing on their grades. I'm sure I will get lots of complaints and tons of whining when grade time comes around, but that always happens. They'll beg for "extra credit," since they will have earned very little credit in the normal course of the semester. Sorry, bub (and bubette).
Oh, well. Back to it, I guess. But if one more of them says "worser" I'm going to explode!
Oh.... One more thing. If my students are any indication, Hillary -- we're on a 1st name basis, you understand ;-) -- is toast. My students are convinced that it's Barack/John, with Barack winning a very close election. I'm not quite ready to go there, though. I'll wait until after March 4. And then reassess.
None of them -- well, maybe 5 of my 85 or so students -- could write their way out of (some metaphorical place).
(INCREDIBLE thunder outside!!! I guess maybe I should turn off this computer. But I won't.)
They can't write. They can't follow the simplest and most often repeated (and, of course, written in the syllabus) instructions. They don't seem to care, even having been reminded several times over several days, that attendance -- or the lack thereof -- is going to have a direct bearing on their grades. I'm sure I will get lots of complaints and tons of whining when grade time comes around, but that always happens. They'll beg for "extra credit," since they will have earned very little credit in the normal course of the semester. Sorry, bub (and bubette).
Oh, well. Back to it, I guess. But if one more of them says "worser" I'm going to explode!
Oh.... One more thing. If my students are any indication, Hillary -- we're on a 1st name basis, you understand ;-) -- is toast. My students are convinced that it's Barack/John, with Barack winning a very close election. I'm not quite ready to go there, though. I'll wait until after March 4. And then reassess.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Clinton
OK. One more thing tonight. I was going to bed, but in signing out of my e-mail, I saw a headline that pulled me in.
The Governor of Pennsylvania is quoted as saying there are "some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate."
Sadly, I'm sure that's true.
The problem is that Hillary is so aggressively using this fact -- playing on it in a way that exacerbates racial tension and division -- in her campaign. Out of one side of her mouth, she's trying to present herself as a true progressive who's good for all Americans. Out of the other side, she's consciously -- I am absolutely convinced -- inflaming purely race-based opposition to her opponent. Governor Rendell, one of Hillary's early strong supporters, is not going to say something like this without vetting it with the campaign. It was a planned wink to racists telling them that it's OK for them not to feel guilty voting against Obama because he's Black. "Some of my best friends are Black, but even the Democratic governor of a large state says America is not ready for a Black president." It was just a couple of weeks ago that Bill made that remark comparing Obama and Jesse Jackson after the South Carolina primary. Just trying to remind folks that it was mainly the Black vote Hillary lost in in South Carolina. And Hillary, of course, retains "plausible deniability."
How do Hillary's Black supporters put up with it? I just don't know. The only way I can think of is that they think she's just doing what she has to do to get elected, and she's really their friend and will be good to them once she's the president.
It's no secret that I've never been a Clinton fan. This shit is why. It's just too bad that with heinous cryptofascist imbeciles like George Bush in charge, I can't be a Republican either.
The Governor of Pennsylvania is quoted as saying there are "some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate."
Sadly, I'm sure that's true.
The problem is that Hillary is so aggressively using this fact -- playing on it in a way that exacerbates racial tension and division -- in her campaign. Out of one side of her mouth, she's trying to present herself as a true progressive who's good for all Americans. Out of the other side, she's consciously -- I am absolutely convinced -- inflaming purely race-based opposition to her opponent. Governor Rendell, one of Hillary's early strong supporters, is not going to say something like this without vetting it with the campaign. It was a planned wink to racists telling them that it's OK for them not to feel guilty voting against Obama because he's Black. "Some of my best friends are Black, but even the Democratic governor of a large state says America is not ready for a Black president." It was just a couple of weeks ago that Bill made that remark comparing Obama and Jesse Jackson after the South Carolina primary. Just trying to remind folks that it was mainly the Black vote Hillary lost in in South Carolina. And Hillary, of course, retains "plausible deniability."
How do Hillary's Black supporters put up with it? I just don't know. The only way I can think of is that they think she's just doing what she has to do to get elected, and she's really their friend and will be good to them once she's the president.
It's no secret that I've never been a Clinton fan. This shit is why. It's just too bad that with heinous cryptofascist imbeciles like George Bush in charge, I can't be a Republican either.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
I know what you're thinking....
You're thinking: Patrick, what DO you think when people claim "divine intervention" because a fortuitous accident happened in their lives. For example -- when someone on a mission trip to Kenya comes home for a previously scheduled christian education conference just a week or so before the bulk of the post-rigged election violence starts. This person is apparently convinced that God was looking out for her personally, even though the departure from Kenya had been planned all along.
I think "What... do you think you're better than all the people who've died?" How many is it?
Sorry for the delay, I just went and looked. Over 1,000 people have died in Kenya as a result of politically and tribally motivated violence in the last couple of months.
So, God cares about you enough to arrange for a conveniently-timed departure, but he doesn't care an iota about all the thousands who've been killed and maimed and driven from their homes? Is that arrogant or racist or simply ignorant or delusional or some combination of all the above? (or perhaps it's just mindlessly repeating a formula they've heard from other folks at times) Sometimes it makes me want to scream. Sometimes it just makes me shake my head in puzzlement or dismay or something like that.
Then again, maybe you weren't thinking that at all. Maybe you were thinking: Patrick, why haven't you posted on your blog for 10 days? Well, I guess I've just been lazy. And I never really have anything that seems compelling enough to bother posting it.
So, does anyone out there care that I'm in the middle of a dispute with my mother (who seems not to be talking to me right now...) over politics? I suggested that if she wants a Republican to win in November (which she does) she'd be better off supporting McCain rather than either Romney or Huckabee. She'd been reading a bunch of far right crap and was scared that McCain is an arrogant liar who uses bad language. Personally, I'm agnostic as to McCain's personal characteristics. I'm simply not blind to the obvious fact that if your primary goal is to beat Hillary or Barack, you'd be better off supporting McCain.
[Love that Furry Lewis (on Pandora "Early Blues)]
My mother is one of those who can't bring herself to acknowledge the name Barack Obama. She'd rather refer to "B. Hussein Obama."
When I think about which Democratic candidate has a better chance against McCain, it's a tough choice. Hillary has huge negatives. She does have a strong core base of support. But she has so much baggage. She's probably the most polarizing figure to run for president in a long time. In my opinion, even more than Bush, Bill, Bush, Reagan, Carter, ... and then it gets murky. Looking back I think Ford must have been in a highly polarized position, but I don't think he personally was the center of it as much as the context (abetted by his pardon of Nixon). Nixon certainly had much broader support, and LBJ I'm not sure I remember well enough to separate history from contemporary impressions, which are what I'm talking about. And Hillary has to figure out how to work around the double-edged sword of Bill (and I think Bill may have been a net negative for her campaign so far, though I could easily be wrong about that).
Anyway, Hillary has problems, but so does Obama. He is, let's remember, Black. And his middle name is, as my mother reminds me, Hussein. (And it's not just the Hussein" part. "Barack Obama" seems so.... foreign.) Plus he's only been on the public scene for a very short time. And there's all that weird stuff about so frequently voting "present" or his seeming relationship with Tony Rezko (sp?). I guess, on balance, Obama may be stronger than Hillary.
Just went and looked again, and it's settled: Obama won all three opportunities to gain delegates today. He's now in front for the first time. (Of course, he's been in front considering pledged delegates for some time now. After today, though, he has more delegates even including superdelegates.)
Whether he's running against Clinton or Obama, McCain's biggest problem in the election will be George Bush. I don't know if any Republican can overcome the problems out there for them. It looks like it will take a campaign as inept as those run by Gore and Kerry for the Democrats to lose this time. Is it possible that another Democrat is going to run a poor campaign and lose an election that he or she should win? Perhaps....
Well, it's late and I'm a bit sad because tonight I missed a chance to hear what "Mr. Politics" would have had to say about these things. Oh, well.... Perhaps someone will report to me what a "real" observer has to say. ;-)
Hittin' the hay now. Had a good 9-mile run tonight. Spent most of it trying to write my book in my head. I've gotta figure out how to get this book written on paper (or on electrons, I guess). And I've gotta come up with EXACTLY the right title. The title will sell the book, if anyone is going to buy it at all. I can see it displacing "The History of Farting" at every register at Half Price Books! (I wonder if anyone ever actually buys THoF? I guess if no one bought it, they wouldn't leave it on display at their registers.)
Au reservoir....
I think "What... do you think you're better than all the people who've died?" How many is it?
Sorry for the delay, I just went and looked. Over 1,000 people have died in Kenya as a result of politically and tribally motivated violence in the last couple of months.
So, God cares about you enough to arrange for a conveniently-timed departure, but he doesn't care an iota about all the thousands who've been killed and maimed and driven from their homes? Is that arrogant or racist or simply ignorant or delusional or some combination of all the above? (or perhaps it's just mindlessly repeating a formula they've heard from other folks at times) Sometimes it makes me want to scream. Sometimes it just makes me shake my head in puzzlement or dismay or something like that.
Then again, maybe you weren't thinking that at all. Maybe you were thinking: Patrick, why haven't you posted on your blog for 10 days? Well, I guess I've just been lazy. And I never really have anything that seems compelling enough to bother posting it.
So, does anyone out there care that I'm in the middle of a dispute with my mother (who seems not to be talking to me right now...) over politics? I suggested that if she wants a Republican to win in November (which she does) she'd be better off supporting McCain rather than either Romney or Huckabee. She'd been reading a bunch of far right crap and was scared that McCain is an arrogant liar who uses bad language. Personally, I'm agnostic as to McCain's personal characteristics. I'm simply not blind to the obvious fact that if your primary goal is to beat Hillary or Barack, you'd be better off supporting McCain.
[Love that Furry Lewis (on Pandora "Early Blues)]
My mother is one of those who can't bring herself to acknowledge the name Barack Obama. She'd rather refer to "B. Hussein Obama."
When I think about which Democratic candidate has a better chance against McCain, it's a tough choice. Hillary has huge negatives. She does have a strong core base of support. But she has so much baggage. She's probably the most polarizing figure to run for president in a long time. In my opinion, even more than Bush, Bill, Bush, Reagan, Carter, ... and then it gets murky. Looking back I think Ford must have been in a highly polarized position, but I don't think he personally was the center of it as much as the context (abetted by his pardon of Nixon). Nixon certainly had much broader support, and LBJ I'm not sure I remember well enough to separate history from contemporary impressions, which are what I'm talking about. And Hillary has to figure out how to work around the double-edged sword of Bill (and I think Bill may have been a net negative for her campaign so far, though I could easily be wrong about that).
Anyway, Hillary has problems, but so does Obama. He is, let's remember, Black. And his middle name is, as my mother reminds me, Hussein. (And it's not just the Hussein" part. "Barack Obama" seems so.... foreign.) Plus he's only been on the public scene for a very short time. And there's all that weird stuff about so frequently voting "present" or his seeming relationship with Tony Rezko (sp?). I guess, on balance, Obama may be stronger than Hillary.
Just went and looked again, and it's settled: Obama won all three opportunities to gain delegates today. He's now in front for the first time. (Of course, he's been in front considering pledged delegates for some time now. After today, though, he has more delegates even including superdelegates.)
Whether he's running against Clinton or Obama, McCain's biggest problem in the election will be George Bush. I don't know if any Republican can overcome the problems out there for them. It looks like it will take a campaign as inept as those run by Gore and Kerry for the Democrats to lose this time. Is it possible that another Democrat is going to run a poor campaign and lose an election that he or she should win? Perhaps....
Well, it's late and I'm a bit sad because tonight I missed a chance to hear what "Mr. Politics" would have had to say about these things. Oh, well.... Perhaps someone will report to me what a "real" observer has to say. ;-)
Hittin' the hay now. Had a good 9-mile run tonight. Spent most of it trying to write my book in my head. I've gotta figure out how to get this book written on paper (or on electrons, I guess). And I've gotta come up with EXACTLY the right title. The title will sell the book, if anyone is going to buy it at all. I can see it displacing "The History of Farting" at every register at Half Price Books! (I wonder if anyone ever actually buys THoF? I guess if no one bought it, they wouldn't leave it on display at their registers.)
Au reservoir....
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Feeling old? (or just experienced....)
Had a race this morning. It was a 10K. I went out just to have a comfortable run, and did just that. Doug Steele, a former REI employee who's a pretty darn fast runner, was there and we met up before the start. We ran together until just after the turnaround, when he took off. As I said, I wasn't trying to go fast, so I was a bit surprised to find that I'd finished in about 51:53. That's pretty fast for me. An 8:21 pace. I didn't have my Forerunner, because I apparently didn't recharge it after my last outing on Thursday, and it died before the start.
Thursday was a weird day. INCREDIBLE wind. I did 3 laps on my bike and it was a real struggle. It was over 50 when I started, although it was really windy. I was riding leaning against the wind. I saw one guy up ahead of me actually blown down by a gust. Anyway, when I finished my ride I had intended to do a run. But with 40 mph gusts of wind and the temperature having dropped into the 30s (according to weather.com when I got home) I was not prepared. After just a little bit of run I gave it up. I felt kind of like a wimp, but not too much. That was the first time I've cut short a run like that for the weather.
Boring, I guess, for anyone but me.....
I think I'll report on an interesting (again, interesting to me....) school event.
Started doing my unit on Civil Rights this week. As a lead-in, I was trying to help them understand at least something about the Civil Rights movement. Part of that was playing for them the Gil Scott-Heron songs "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and "Whitey on the Moon." (I'll bet it's been a long time since any of you out there have heard those!)
Of course they didn't understand a lot of the "ancient" cultural references (e.g., "The revolution will not put a tiger in your tank or a giant in your toilet bowl..." and of course they'd never heard of Hooterville) but I expected that, and even warned them not to be put off by it. On the other hand, I didn't expect to have to explain to them what "Whitey on the Moon" meant. They didn't know who Neil Armstrong was!!
I guess it's not a good thing that when I don't know something I tend to sit back and not say anything, hoping to figure it out from the conversation, unless it's clearly something important. Many of my students, though, are not that way at all. I had 5 or 6 hands up in all three classes, wanting to know "What did he mean by 'Whitey on the Moon'?" I think that's one of those things I would have sat back and waited for. At least for a while. I'd already told them we were going to spend some time talking about the songs. Oh, well. I guess I just expect too much.
Oh, and speaking of expectations, I somehow didn't realize that I wasn't going to get a paycheck from the District at the end of January. I suppose that makes sense, because I didn't teach any winter term classes. Somehow I was thinking I'd not gotten everything from the Fall yet. Oh, well (again....)
I'm going for a bike ride now. See ya later....
Thursday was a weird day. INCREDIBLE wind. I did 3 laps on my bike and it was a real struggle. It was over 50 when I started, although it was really windy. I was riding leaning against the wind. I saw one guy up ahead of me actually blown down by a gust. Anyway, when I finished my ride I had intended to do a run. But with 40 mph gusts of wind and the temperature having dropped into the 30s (according to weather.com when I got home) I was not prepared. After just a little bit of run I gave it up. I felt kind of like a wimp, but not too much. That was the first time I've cut short a run like that for the weather.
Boring, I guess, for anyone but me.....
I think I'll report on an interesting (again, interesting to me....) school event.
Started doing my unit on Civil Rights this week. As a lead-in, I was trying to help them understand at least something about the Civil Rights movement. Part of that was playing for them the Gil Scott-Heron songs "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and "Whitey on the Moon." (I'll bet it's been a long time since any of you out there have heard those!)
Of course they didn't understand a lot of the "ancient" cultural references (e.g., "The revolution will not put a tiger in your tank or a giant in your toilet bowl..." and of course they'd never heard of Hooterville) but I expected that, and even warned them not to be put off by it. On the other hand, I didn't expect to have to explain to them what "Whitey on the Moon" meant. They didn't know who Neil Armstrong was!!
I guess it's not a good thing that when I don't know something I tend to sit back and not say anything, hoping to figure it out from the conversation, unless it's clearly something important. Many of my students, though, are not that way at all. I had 5 or 6 hands up in all three classes, wanting to know "What did he mean by 'Whitey on the Moon'?" I think that's one of those things I would have sat back and waited for. At least for a while. I'd already told them we were going to spend some time talking about the songs. Oh, well. I guess I just expect too much.
Oh, and speaking of expectations, I somehow didn't realize that I wasn't going to get a paycheck from the District at the end of January. I suppose that makes sense, because I didn't teach any winter term classes. Somehow I was thinking I'd not gotten everything from the Fall yet. Oh, well (again....)
I'm going for a bike ride now. See ya later....
Friday, January 25, 2008
OK, I feel better...
Did 6 miles, and I really do feel better. I wonder if the fact that it had been 3 days since I'd run was part of my downishness? People talk about how they feel bad if they don't run. Perhaps I can try to be aware of my feelings (I generally hate those things) when I do and don't exercise. I've still not been aware of "runner's high," another commonly reported phenomenon.
(Diana Krall doing Isn't It a Lovely Day. I always enjoy her stuff.)
I do have to say that I really felt good throughout this run. I like running best when I don't try to run too fast (duh...). Still, even though I "stayed within myself" on this run, I didn't have any miles over 9 minutes. So I am getting faster, perhaps.
I had an interesting moment tonight, in fact. As I reached exactly 6 miles and my wrist beeped I looked down and I was at 51:36. I immediately thought of last summer when I was so pleased with myself for finishing 6 miles in under 60 minutes. It made me feel pretty self-satisfied to see that I'd progressed to the point where 51:36 actually feels comfortable. (Even though I'm really not hung up on times, I'm telling myself....)
I know it takes time to build muscle memory and simple base fitness. I think maybe I'll declare that my life running goals include a sub-4 marathon (if I haven't already done that). Once I've done that, I think (I think right now, anyway) that I'll be satisfied and will be able to subside to fun maintenance running for the rest of my life. I hope so, anyway.
Of course, I still want to do a triathlon. So we'll see how that affects everything.
It was good to feel my left ankle/foot on this run. I've been having some pains, and wondered how it would go in a run. Once I'd gone a quarter of a mile I didn't feel it (pain) again until I was walking back to the car. What kind of pain is it that hurts when walking but not when running? Maybe I'll find out tomorrow. I'm doing a "VGA" (video gait analysis) tomorrow with a local chiropractor. He has a treadmill and takes video of you running to isolate issues or problems with your gait. Ideally he'll be able to help me fine-tune the way I run and give me some more shoe advice. One can never get enough shoe advice! ;-) Just like one learns to simply ignore minor aches and pains.
This chiropractor is a guy who does this as a free service for groups like DRC or TNT. I guess he gets business out of it. I've heard really good things about him (meaning, I've been told he won't tell me something just to try to get me to hire him). And as I've seen and talked with him several times at races, my impression is that he's an honest, straight-ahead guy. We'll see.
Re: my frustration about the guy who was a jerk during my last run. I realized one thing while running tonight. He was just a Fred. Fred is a derogatory term used by cyclists to describe a cyclist: who owns a much nicer bike than he can do credit to (someone who has an $8,000 Orbea but does 6-hour centuries, for example); or who is the type who will sprint past a "real" cyclist who's just out for a recovery cruise and congratulates himself on how fast he is; or who is always 'half-wheeling" (when out for a casual or LSD ride, stays about a half wheel ahead of his riding partner and sort of pushes the pace inappropriately); or who otherwise fails to abide by the understood standards of behavior among cyclists.
I expect runners may have a similar name for rude runners. There's less opportunity for Fredness among runners, though, because there's less equipment. Perhaps there's no name, though, because I haven't heard it yet. I'm sure it was more than a year into my cycling before I heard "Fred" though. I don't think I'll ask around. I'll just go with Fred for that dude. It seems to cover it.
(Tony Bennett singing "Who Can I Turn To?" Love that song.)
Well, I had just meant to come back tonight to say I felt better, and I typed on and on. So that'll be it for now...
(Diana Krall doing Isn't It a Lovely Day. I always enjoy her stuff.)
I do have to say that I really felt good throughout this run. I like running best when I don't try to run too fast (duh...). Still, even though I "stayed within myself" on this run, I didn't have any miles over 9 minutes. So I am getting faster, perhaps.
I had an interesting moment tonight, in fact. As I reached exactly 6 miles and my wrist beeped I looked down and I was at 51:36. I immediately thought of last summer when I was so pleased with myself for finishing 6 miles in under 60 minutes. It made me feel pretty self-satisfied to see that I'd progressed to the point where 51:36 actually feels comfortable. (Even though I'm really not hung up on times, I'm telling myself....)
I know it takes time to build muscle memory and simple base fitness. I think maybe I'll declare that my life running goals include a sub-4 marathon (if I haven't already done that). Once I've done that, I think (I think right now, anyway) that I'll be satisfied and will be able to subside to fun maintenance running for the rest of my life. I hope so, anyway.
Of course, I still want to do a triathlon. So we'll see how that affects everything.
It was good to feel my left ankle/foot on this run. I've been having some pains, and wondered how it would go in a run. Once I'd gone a quarter of a mile I didn't feel it (pain) again until I was walking back to the car. What kind of pain is it that hurts when walking but not when running? Maybe I'll find out tomorrow. I'm doing a "VGA" (video gait analysis) tomorrow with a local chiropractor. He has a treadmill and takes video of you running to isolate issues or problems with your gait. Ideally he'll be able to help me fine-tune the way I run and give me some more shoe advice. One can never get enough shoe advice! ;-) Just like one learns to simply ignore minor aches and pains.
This chiropractor is a guy who does this as a free service for groups like DRC or TNT. I guess he gets business out of it. I've heard really good things about him (meaning, I've been told he won't tell me something just to try to get me to hire him). And as I've seen and talked with him several times at races, my impression is that he's an honest, straight-ahead guy. We'll see.
Re: my frustration about the guy who was a jerk during my last run. I realized one thing while running tonight. He was just a Fred. Fred is a derogatory term used by cyclists to describe a cyclist: who owns a much nicer bike than he can do credit to (someone who has an $8,000 Orbea but does 6-hour centuries, for example); or who is the type who will sprint past a "real" cyclist who's just out for a recovery cruise and congratulates himself on how fast he is; or who is always 'half-wheeling" (when out for a casual or LSD ride, stays about a half wheel ahead of his riding partner and sort of pushes the pace inappropriately); or who otherwise fails to abide by the understood standards of behavior among cyclists.
I expect runners may have a similar name for rude runners. There's less opportunity for Fredness among runners, though, because there's less equipment. Perhaps there's no name, though, because I haven't heard it yet. I'm sure it was more than a year into my cycling before I heard "Fred" though. I don't think I'll ask around. I'll just go with Fred for that dude. It seems to cover it.
(Tony Bennett singing "Who Can I Turn To?" Love that song.)
Well, I had just meant to come back tonight to say I felt better, and I typed on and on. So that'll be it for now...
I think I hate everyone....
... with not too many exceptions.
Well, perhaps that's a slight exaggeration. But only slight.
There's my president, who started a needless war for the wrong reasons. There are his advisers, some of whom think it's a fine idea to torture captives. There are Osama and all his medieval ilk, who also think it's just fine to torture anyone they don't like, not to mention that it's their idea of a good time to blow up pretty much anyone who would prefer to live in a world that has progressed since the 15th century. (Or, what the heck, pretty much anyone else too, for that matter. Why be picky?) How about a large number of my students, who I now know agree that it's alright to torture "our enemies." But perhaps they're too young to know better. (And anyway, I shouldn't think that, because I have to be objective in assigning grades, don't I?) And the list goes on, capped by a guy I saw during my last run.
I was at the lake running a loop, and the weather was pretty miserable. Cold, windy and drizzly. Almost no one out there. The least crowded I think I've ever seen it, in fact. Far fewer than either Christmas or New Year's Day. I was on the newish winding section of trail leading to the new bridge on the north end when I saw two people ahead. Both with dogs. One running and one walking. The runner slowed as he went past the walker and looked at him, and then went on. I was perhaps 30 yards behind, so I couldn't hear, and my glasses were blurred by drizzle, so I couldn't see very well, either. When I got to the walker a few seconds later I could see that he was "disabled." Walked very awkwardly with a cane. I slowed so as not to startle him or his dog, and as I went by, said hello. He called to me: "Hello, sir! Could you help me?" By his voice I could tell he did not simply have a bad leg. Some sort of neurological disorder. Anyway, I of course stopped to see what he needed. He repeated: "Could you help me?" and handed me the end of the dog leash. With his cane he then managed to knock a chunk of wood out from the heel of his shoe, which had a big exposed spring into which the wood had gotten lodged. He then was effusive in his thanks, seemingly disproportionately so. He said "You're the greatest! You're only the second person I've seen out here in the last hour." I just said "You're welcome. It was no problem. Stay warm!" And I ran on.
It wasn't until I was about up to the runner that the import of his words struck me. The runner I was about to pass had to have been the other person the walker had seen, if it was true that the walker had seen only two people in the last hour. The runner, it follows, had declined to stop to help the walker. I was going a good bit faster than the runner, and as I was passing him it was dawning on me that this was probably the case. Say something? If so, what? Make an assumption that he'd refused to delay his run by 5 seconds to help the clearly-in-need-of-aid walker?
But as I approached the runner an odd thing happened. He started to speed up. At first I thought it was my imagination. I do not yet have the best instinctive sense of my pace without looking at the Forerunner. But it quickly became clear that I was not imagining it at all. This guy was speeding up. And the only possible interpretation was that for some reason he didn't want me to pass him. What a total ass!! Well, you can be sure I sped up, too, and left the ass's ass in the dust. Or actually the mud, as it were. I didn't say anything. But at least I kicked his ass.
OK. That sounds completely testosteronish. "Kicked his ass" indeed. But it was about the only thing I could think of to do right then and there without confronting him over something I couldn't honestly be sure he did. Speeding up like that just isn't done. It's outside the code of behavior, except, of course, in a race. Only assholes do it. People like me, who sort of speed up a little bit when being passed just on the basis of inexperience, get a pass, because we don't speed up anything close to as much as this guy. He went from a 10 or perhaps even a 10:30 to an 8. I know, because I was doing about a 9 when I reached him and after finally leaving him I looked and was doing a 7:45. That's a big difference. Far more than simple drift.
I don't know. Perhaps I don't really hate everyone. Perhaps I'm just feeling frustrated right now. And perhaps I'm feeling a little sensitive about the disabled guy out walking his dog in the miserable weather who has to suffer the indignity (yes, I'm assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that he would consider it an indignity) of asking for help with a simple (it would have been simple for me, in any case) task like clearing the bottom of his shoe, and then to have that request rebuffed! Or maybe the problem is that we've been discussing Civil Liberties in class. I think that's always hard for me because teaching about it makes me so aware of how far short of our ideals we have sometimes fallen. And then to have more than half the class think it's just fine for us to torture prisoners. Sigh.....
Or perhaps I'm just feeling a little lonely right now, for some reason. And I'm taking it out on the world around me.
I think I'll go for a run....
Well, perhaps that's a slight exaggeration. But only slight.
There's my president, who started a needless war for the wrong reasons. There are his advisers, some of whom think it's a fine idea to torture captives. There are Osama and all his medieval ilk, who also think it's just fine to torture anyone they don't like, not to mention that it's their idea of a good time to blow up pretty much anyone who would prefer to live in a world that has progressed since the 15th century. (Or, what the heck, pretty much anyone else too, for that matter. Why be picky?) How about a large number of my students, who I now know agree that it's alright to torture "our enemies." But perhaps they're too young to know better. (And anyway, I shouldn't think that, because I have to be objective in assigning grades, don't I?) And the list goes on, capped by a guy I saw during my last run.
I was at the lake running a loop, and the weather was pretty miserable. Cold, windy and drizzly. Almost no one out there. The least crowded I think I've ever seen it, in fact. Far fewer than either Christmas or New Year's Day. I was on the newish winding section of trail leading to the new bridge on the north end when I saw two people ahead. Both with dogs. One running and one walking. The runner slowed as he went past the walker and looked at him, and then went on. I was perhaps 30 yards behind, so I couldn't hear, and my glasses were blurred by drizzle, so I couldn't see very well, either. When I got to the walker a few seconds later I could see that he was "disabled." Walked very awkwardly with a cane. I slowed so as not to startle him or his dog, and as I went by, said hello. He called to me: "Hello, sir! Could you help me?" By his voice I could tell he did not simply have a bad leg. Some sort of neurological disorder. Anyway, I of course stopped to see what he needed. He repeated: "Could you help me?" and handed me the end of the dog leash. With his cane he then managed to knock a chunk of wood out from the heel of his shoe, which had a big exposed spring into which the wood had gotten lodged. He then was effusive in his thanks, seemingly disproportionately so. He said "You're the greatest! You're only the second person I've seen out here in the last hour." I just said "You're welcome. It was no problem. Stay warm!" And I ran on.
It wasn't until I was about up to the runner that the import of his words struck me. The runner I was about to pass had to have been the other person the walker had seen, if it was true that the walker had seen only two people in the last hour. The runner, it follows, had declined to stop to help the walker. I was going a good bit faster than the runner, and as I was passing him it was dawning on me that this was probably the case. Say something? If so, what? Make an assumption that he'd refused to delay his run by 5 seconds to help the clearly-in-need-of-aid walker?
But as I approached the runner an odd thing happened. He started to speed up. At first I thought it was my imagination. I do not yet have the best instinctive sense of my pace without looking at the Forerunner. But it quickly became clear that I was not imagining it at all. This guy was speeding up. And the only possible interpretation was that for some reason he didn't want me to pass him. What a total ass!! Well, you can be sure I sped up, too, and left the ass's ass in the dust. Or actually the mud, as it were. I didn't say anything. But at least I kicked his ass.
OK. That sounds completely testosteronish. "Kicked his ass" indeed. But it was about the only thing I could think of to do right then and there without confronting him over something I couldn't honestly be sure he did. Speeding up like that just isn't done. It's outside the code of behavior, except, of course, in a race. Only assholes do it. People like me, who sort of speed up a little bit when being passed just on the basis of inexperience, get a pass, because we don't speed up anything close to as much as this guy. He went from a 10 or perhaps even a 10:30 to an 8. I know, because I was doing about a 9 when I reached him and after finally leaving him I looked and was doing a 7:45. That's a big difference. Far more than simple drift.
I don't know. Perhaps I don't really hate everyone. Perhaps I'm just feeling frustrated right now. And perhaps I'm feeling a little sensitive about the disabled guy out walking his dog in the miserable weather who has to suffer the indignity (yes, I'm assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that he would consider it an indignity) of asking for help with a simple (it would have been simple for me, in any case) task like clearing the bottom of his shoe, and then to have that request rebuffed! Or maybe the problem is that we've been discussing Civil Liberties in class. I think that's always hard for me because teaching about it makes me so aware of how far short of our ideals we have sometimes fallen. And then to have more than half the class think it's just fine for us to torture prisoners. Sigh.....
Or perhaps I'm just feeling a little lonely right now, for some reason. And I'm taking it out on the world around me.
I think I'll go for a run....
Saturday, January 19, 2008
You know you're a Southerner when...
... you go to White Rock lake at 7 a.m. when it's 27 degrees outside to run a lap and from miles 5 to 9.5 all you can think about is how much you're looking forward a bowl of grits for breakfast.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Tired...
Did a long brick today. Thirty-two miles (I was always taught never to begin a sentence with a digit. Is that right?) on the bike followed by running a full loop (a little over 9 miles). And I was and am really tired. In fact, when I was getting out of the car at home afterward, my left leg cramped. I rarely get cramps, except after (or even more infrequently, during) an exceptionally hard effort. Even "only" a half Ironman is 56 miles on the bike and 13.1 miles running. And that's after a 1.2 mile swim. So I have a lot of training to do if I'm ever going to honestly consider something like that.
I actually felt OK most of the time, except when the strong wind was right in my face. Wind can be a little discouraging, because you clearly are having to work harder to achieve the same effect (go the same speed) as when it's not windy. Of course, my response to that is just to slow down. Not that I have much choice.
(Big Bill Broonzy on Early Blues singing Black, Brown and White. Never heard that song before. "If you's White, it's alright. If you's Brown, stick around. But as you's Black, whoa brother, get back, get back, get back...." Fascinating song. Kinda early for too much of that. In fact, Pandora says the song's release was delayed, and then only released in France. Too much for us to hear.)
One or two brief comments about my 5K last weekend. The last timed 5K I did was a long time ago (late last summer) and was about 29:50. My goal was sub-30, so that was fine with me. Now, though, that would be really slow. So my goal (public) was sub 26 and my goal (private) was sub 25.
(All that "public/private" stuff is purely self-motivational. No one cares how fast I run, so having different goals is meaningless to anyone but me. Really. Saying I have a "public" goal implies that people are asking how fast I'm going to run. But no one actually is. Except Doug, who's a LOT faster than I am and is exclusively encouraging, no matter what I do. I'm still trying to figure out how to run races, how to pace myself, and how to make an appropriate effort (which is really the point of this current 5K discussion.))
In fact, I ran a 23:29. That was **great** from one perspective. It was faster by a whole minute than I thought I'd be able to run. I was 75th overall out of 343 runners, and 11th out of 23 in my age group (male 50-54) (There are some really fast guys in my age group, including Chris Phelan, who 2 years ago was ranked #1 in the nation in the triathlon.). Everyone at the end (my running friends from the Pace Group) was very impressed.
(Another positive result was that I finished ahead of EVERY person pushing a baby jogger. (No joke.) And I was only beaten by one person under 12 years old. (An 11 year old boy whom I think I will trip at the next race. If I can find him.))
On the other hand, it was **really** hard to run that fast. I was completely knackered by the end.
I had a sort of weird semi-out-of-body experience during the race. During the last mile, I was very tired. My brain had a conscious conversation with itself. (I certainly couldn't actually talk. I couldn't really talk even for a couple of minutes after the race was over. All the oxygen I could take in went to places other than my vocal chords.) Half of my brain was saying "Slow down, you dope! This hurts! Why are you doing this?" The other half was saying (without apparent thought) "It's a race! Gotta run! Gotta run fast!" In the end, I think my brain just got out of the way and my legs took over, entirely unsupervised. They decided not to slow down. Fully under the control of the limbic system.
This may sound weird, but I mean it sincerely. It was as if "I" didn't really have a choice. That "conversation" was happening without "my" input, whatever that means. I was just providing the vehicle. Once the race started, some other internal (instinctive?) forces took over. Is it possible to learn and internalize behaviors so thoroughly that they entirely take over? If there was a controversy about this, there is one no longer. The answer is yes. If I had asked myself, I would have wanted to slow down. But I never gave myself the option. It was a little spooky.
I suspect that's the same theory used by the military. They use various techniques to ingrain behaviors in soldiers that allow the soldiers to do things they otherwise would never do -- not if they stopped and asked themselves if they "wanted" to do whatever it is.
And religion. Isn't that the same thing? Ingrained belief and behavior patterns that are not subject to question.
In case you're wondering, involuntary competitiveness when playing Scrabble is another phenomenon entirely. Perhaps. ;-) At least they say awareness of the problem is the first step to a cure! Maybe there's hope for me yet.
All this and I haven't even gotten to politics, which I wanted to do.
Let's just say for now that the real race has started. Hillary has that little totally staged "crying" episode. Someone is digging up Ron Paul's past. It's about to start getting really nasty. I fully expect to hear something soon about Romney's connections to polygamists, Giuliani's connections with terrorists, McCain's failures as a soldier, Huckabee being gay, Obama secretly reaffirming his Muslimism, and on and on.
More on politics later....
I actually felt OK most of the time, except when the strong wind was right in my face. Wind can be a little discouraging, because you clearly are having to work harder to achieve the same effect (go the same speed) as when it's not windy. Of course, my response to that is just to slow down. Not that I have much choice.
(Big Bill Broonzy on Early Blues singing Black, Brown and White. Never heard that song before. "If you's White, it's alright. If you's Brown, stick around. But as you's Black, whoa brother, get back, get back, get back...." Fascinating song. Kinda early for too much of that. In fact, Pandora says the song's release was delayed, and then only released in France. Too much for us to hear.)
One or two brief comments about my 5K last weekend. The last timed 5K I did was a long time ago (late last summer) and was about 29:50. My goal was sub-30, so that was fine with me. Now, though, that would be really slow. So my goal (public) was sub 26 and my goal (private) was sub 25.
(All that "public/private" stuff is purely self-motivational. No one cares how fast I run, so having different goals is meaningless to anyone but me. Really. Saying I have a "public" goal implies that people are asking how fast I'm going to run. But no one actually is. Except Doug, who's a LOT faster than I am and is exclusively encouraging, no matter what I do. I'm still trying to figure out how to run races, how to pace myself, and how to make an appropriate effort (which is really the point of this current 5K discussion.))
In fact, I ran a 23:29. That was **great** from one perspective. It was faster by a whole minute than I thought I'd be able to run. I was 75th overall out of 343 runners, and 11th out of 23 in my age group (male 50-54) (There are some really fast guys in my age group, including Chris Phelan, who 2 years ago was ranked #1 in the nation in the triathlon.). Everyone at the end (my running friends from the Pace Group) was very impressed.
(Another positive result was that I finished ahead of EVERY person pushing a baby jogger. (No joke.) And I was only beaten by one person under 12 years old. (An 11 year old boy whom I think I will trip at the next race. If I can find him.))
On the other hand, it was **really** hard to run that fast. I was completely knackered by the end.
I had a sort of weird semi-out-of-body experience during the race. During the last mile, I was very tired. My brain had a conscious conversation with itself. (I certainly couldn't actually talk. I couldn't really talk even for a couple of minutes after the race was over. All the oxygen I could take in went to places other than my vocal chords.) Half of my brain was saying "Slow down, you dope! This hurts! Why are you doing this?" The other half was saying (without apparent thought) "It's a race! Gotta run! Gotta run fast!" In the end, I think my brain just got out of the way and my legs took over, entirely unsupervised. They decided not to slow down. Fully under the control of the limbic system.
This may sound weird, but I mean it sincerely. It was as if "I" didn't really have a choice. That "conversation" was happening without "my" input, whatever that means. I was just providing the vehicle. Once the race started, some other internal (instinctive?) forces took over. Is it possible to learn and internalize behaviors so thoroughly that they entirely take over? If there was a controversy about this, there is one no longer. The answer is yes. If I had asked myself, I would have wanted to slow down. But I never gave myself the option. It was a little spooky.
I suspect that's the same theory used by the military. They use various techniques to ingrain behaviors in soldiers that allow the soldiers to do things they otherwise would never do -- not if they stopped and asked themselves if they "wanted" to do whatever it is.
And religion. Isn't that the same thing? Ingrained belief and behavior patterns that are not subject to question.
In case you're wondering, involuntary competitiveness when playing Scrabble is another phenomenon entirely. Perhaps. ;-) At least they say awareness of the problem is the first step to a cure! Maybe there's hope for me yet.
All this and I haven't even gotten to politics, which I wanted to do.
Let's just say for now that the real race has started. Hillary has that little totally staged "crying" episode. Someone is digging up Ron Paul's past. It's about to start getting really nasty. I fully expect to hear something soon about Romney's connections to polygamists, Giuliani's connections with terrorists, McCain's failures as a soldier, Huckabee being gay, Obama secretly reaffirming his Muslimism, and on and on.
More on politics later....
Monday, January 7, 2008
Some running and some non-running thoughts
First, the memory story. Have I already written this? I don't think so.
I have a very vivid memory of going with my father to Fayetteville, Arkansas when I was 10 or 11 years old for a Tennessee-Arkansas football game. We were big SEC fans. (I still am, so far as it goes. I'm not much for any of that stuff anymore. But if I watch football I'd still rather watch SEC. Or maybe Big 12 now that I'm a Texan. Basketball, ACC is tops, followed by SEC and Big 12. But none of that matters....)
Anyway, here I am, an 11 year old kid in this electric environment. If you've never been to a big-time SEC football game, you really should go, even if you don't like football. It truly is exciting. The atmosphere is like nothing else. 75,000 or more people talking and laughing and yelling in their bright red (U of A) and orange (UT) clothes, and cheerleaders and players on the field looking trim and fit and fast and the smell of hotdogs and beer and the announcer and the bright sun and the green grass and the TV cameras and all the paraphernalia that goes along with such an event. So I'm sitting there absorbing all this color and sound and movement when I realize that a new sound is starting. It turns out that before each home game, a local Fayetteville radio station would broadcast about a half hour of hogs snorting. You know -- Arkansas Razorbacks. Woooooo pig, Soooiee (or however it's spelled -- I can't remember). All the Arkansas fans in the stadium -- probably about 60,000 of them -- tuned their transistor radios to this radio station at full volume.
All those radios tuned in and turned up. An unimaginable din of hogs. And 60,000 people standing and shouting and Wooooooo Pig, Sooieing. The entire stadium was rocking with the noise. And then the team comes back out on the field from their brief pre-game retreat for final preparation and pep talk and the stadium becomes, for 90 seconds, Fayetteville, Krakatoa.
All in all, an indelible, unforgettable experience. I can still see, hear and smell it almost as vividly as when I was sitting right there in the middle of it. Except for one thing....
Apparently it never happened.
I must have told that story a hundred times over the years. A few months ago I was telling it to a customer at REI. He sounded doubtful. He'd been a season ticket holder for decades, he said, and he didn't remember anything like that. I've asked several people since then, including my father, and no one else seems to remember it, either. I've gone to hogwild.com to look up Arkansas football traditions, and there's no mention of it. I seem to be alone with my unforgettable memory.
So, what's up? Perhaps it really did happen that one time, but because it was just a one-off event, most people have forgotten about it. Perhaps they did do it regularly in the past, but by the time I was at that game and the man at REI was a ticket-holder it was already just a memory, and I heard someone talk about it and just thought it happened. Perhaps I long ago thought how cool it would be for them to do that, and over time I turned that into a memory of their having done it.
I don't know. It's a mystery.
One level of its significance to me, as a very amateur student of fringe beliefs and conspiracy theories, is how unreliable memories can be. When someone is talking about their memories of the JFK assassination, for example, many believers love to say "Why would they lie?" While there are many reasons why they might lie, they need not even be lying. They may honestly believe what they remember actually happened. But their honest belief has no bearing whatsoever on the likelihood of the event's reality. The only use memory has is to provide ideas for investigation. No memory can be reliable evidence in such a case.
Well, it's late, and I haven't talked about my 5K last Saturday (I did great, but it created some inner conflict) or my experience during my run today, or my growing desire to run in the Texas Independence Relay or a number of other items. I'll have to do all that....
Later....
I have a very vivid memory of going with my father to Fayetteville, Arkansas when I was 10 or 11 years old for a Tennessee-Arkansas football game. We were big SEC fans. (I still am, so far as it goes. I'm not much for any of that stuff anymore. But if I watch football I'd still rather watch SEC. Or maybe Big 12 now that I'm a Texan. Basketball, ACC is tops, followed by SEC and Big 12. But none of that matters....)
Anyway, here I am, an 11 year old kid in this electric environment. If you've never been to a big-time SEC football game, you really should go, even if you don't like football. It truly is exciting. The atmosphere is like nothing else. 75,000 or more people talking and laughing and yelling in their bright red (U of A) and orange (UT) clothes, and cheerleaders and players on the field looking trim and fit and fast and the smell of hotdogs and beer and the announcer and the bright sun and the green grass and the TV cameras and all the paraphernalia that goes along with such an event. So I'm sitting there absorbing all this color and sound and movement when I realize that a new sound is starting. It turns out that before each home game, a local Fayetteville radio station would broadcast about a half hour of hogs snorting. You know -- Arkansas Razorbacks. Woooooo pig, Soooiee (or however it's spelled -- I can't remember). All the Arkansas fans in the stadium -- probably about 60,000 of them -- tuned their transistor radios to this radio station at full volume.
All those radios tuned in and turned up. An unimaginable din of hogs. And 60,000 people standing and shouting and Wooooooo Pig, Sooieing. The entire stadium was rocking with the noise. And then the team comes back out on the field from their brief pre-game retreat for final preparation and pep talk and the stadium becomes, for 90 seconds, Fayetteville, Krakatoa.
All in all, an indelible, unforgettable experience. I can still see, hear and smell it almost as vividly as when I was sitting right there in the middle of it. Except for one thing....
Apparently it never happened.
I must have told that story a hundred times over the years. A few months ago I was telling it to a customer at REI. He sounded doubtful. He'd been a season ticket holder for decades, he said, and he didn't remember anything like that. I've asked several people since then, including my father, and no one else seems to remember it, either. I've gone to hogwild.com to look up Arkansas football traditions, and there's no mention of it. I seem to be alone with my unforgettable memory.
So, what's up? Perhaps it really did happen that one time, but because it was just a one-off event, most people have forgotten about it. Perhaps they did do it regularly in the past, but by the time I was at that game and the man at REI was a ticket-holder it was already just a memory, and I heard someone talk about it and just thought it happened. Perhaps I long ago thought how cool it would be for them to do that, and over time I turned that into a memory of their having done it.
I don't know. It's a mystery.
One level of its significance to me, as a very amateur student of fringe beliefs and conspiracy theories, is how unreliable memories can be. When someone is talking about their memories of the JFK assassination, for example, many believers love to say "Why would they lie?" While there are many reasons why they might lie, they need not even be lying. They may honestly believe what they remember actually happened. But their honest belief has no bearing whatsoever on the likelihood of the event's reality. The only use memory has is to provide ideas for investigation. No memory can be reliable evidence in such a case.
Well, it's late, and I haven't talked about my 5K last Saturday (I did great, but it created some inner conflict) or my experience during my run today, or my growing desire to run in the Texas Independence Relay or a number of other items. I'll have to do all that....
Later....
Friday, January 4, 2008
Need to talk
But can't talk long tonight. It's already 10:45 and I'm tired. And I have to be at the lake at 6:15 tomorrow morning to fill my volunteer slot before the race, in which I am running. But it's just a 5K so I should be fine. I'm going to try to go sub 24. I don't know if I'll make it. We'll see. My ankle is sort of bothering me. That's never really gone away completely. And I haven't really eaten right for a race. Plus it's supposed to be really windy, which slows me down. Not necessarily relative to other people, but that's not the point. I'm not worried about anyone else.
Someone asked me the other day if it bothered me having "girls" beat me. I just looked at him as if he was crazy. I just said "No. Girls have been beating me all my life at one thing or another. Since I started riding the bike, I've ridden with lots of "girls" who can leave me in the dust. Running may be even worse, though it's hard to compare." (Or that's something like what I said.)
I don't know why I went into that little tantrum. That was kind of out of nowhere. It's not what I was going to write about at all. But when I start writing sometimes it's that way. What comes out is not what I expected or intended. I believe listening to novelists talk about how they write, I've heard some of them talk about how they have to wait and see where characters or plots take them, as if they were not in control of themselves when writing. I think I believe that. I'm no writer, but I've experienced a sense of "Why am I writing this?" before.
I don't understand something. Mississippi John Hurt is singing "Shake That Thing" and I don't know what "that thing" is. "Bought my babe a diamond ring, went back home and told her "Baby shake that thing."" Oh well, it's a mystery.
Anyway, what I'm thinking about is my shoes. As you know, I've struggled with shoes since the beginning. I think I'm starting to have issues because my shoes are worn out. I just checked and I've run about 410 miles since I started uploading from the Forerunner on Sept. 22. That day was a 16.8 mile run. I'd put a lot of miles on the shoes before that. Most of those miles have been on 3 pairs of shoes, though I have a 4th pair I stopped wearing because (close your ears if you are too delicate to hear this) (or skip the next 27 words) they stink so badly I can't stand to be near them. My other shoes don't smell like roses, but they are pretty innocuous. Very innocuous by comparison.
The rule of thumb (Does that phrase bother you out there? Some people at least pretend to be offended by it. Silly, I think.) is that one should wear running shoes between 300 and 500 miles at the outside. After that they are too beaten down. And one should not wear the same shoes every day. I don't know how much I've worn any one pair of these shoes, but at least some of them are getting up there. Say I've done 700 miles or so altogether. That's a WAG. But probably close. 3 pairs of shoes would be 233 miles per pair. If I did 50 miles in the stinkies, then the average would go down to 215 or so per pair. But since my Burns (one of the pairs -- my "racing flats") have seen fewer miles, there's a chance one or the other pair is over 300 now.
I guess this is not as bad as I was afraid it would be when I started this post. But it is definitely time to buy a couple more pairs of shoes.
I did not do New Year's Resolutions. Did all of you out there? I was thinking today I should set a goal or two for myself for the year. Run 2 marathons? Do a triathlon? (long sprint? Olympic? 70.3? Full Iron?) Goals are not the same as resolutions, are they?
But now I've got to get to bed. My eyes are burning. Do yours do that when you're tired?
I want to talk about writing, Tour de Georgia, and other stuff. But not tonight. Have I ever told my unreliable memory story? I was telling it tonight at REI. It's bad when I can't remember things I've talked about in the blog.
Someone asked me the other day if it bothered me having "girls" beat me. I just looked at him as if he was crazy. I just said "No. Girls have been beating me all my life at one thing or another. Since I started riding the bike, I've ridden with lots of "girls" who can leave me in the dust. Running may be even worse, though it's hard to compare." (Or that's something like what I said.)
I don't know why I went into that little tantrum. That was kind of out of nowhere. It's not what I was going to write about at all. But when I start writing sometimes it's that way. What comes out is not what I expected or intended. I believe listening to novelists talk about how they write, I've heard some of them talk about how they have to wait and see where characters or plots take them, as if they were not in control of themselves when writing. I think I believe that. I'm no writer, but I've experienced a sense of "Why am I writing this?" before.
I don't understand something. Mississippi John Hurt is singing "Shake That Thing" and I don't know what "that thing" is. "Bought my babe a diamond ring, went back home and told her "Baby shake that thing."" Oh well, it's a mystery.
Anyway, what I'm thinking about is my shoes. As you know, I've struggled with shoes since the beginning. I think I'm starting to have issues because my shoes are worn out. I just checked and I've run about 410 miles since I started uploading from the Forerunner on Sept. 22. That day was a 16.8 mile run. I'd put a lot of miles on the shoes before that. Most of those miles have been on 3 pairs of shoes, though I have a 4th pair I stopped wearing because (close your ears if you are too delicate to hear this) (or skip the next 27 words) they stink so badly I can't stand to be near them. My other shoes don't smell like roses, but they are pretty innocuous. Very innocuous by comparison.
The rule of thumb (Does that phrase bother you out there? Some people at least pretend to be offended by it. Silly, I think.) is that one should wear running shoes between 300 and 500 miles at the outside. After that they are too beaten down. And one should not wear the same shoes every day. I don't know how much I've worn any one pair of these shoes, but at least some of them are getting up there. Say I've done 700 miles or so altogether. That's a WAG. But probably close. 3 pairs of shoes would be 233 miles per pair. If I did 50 miles in the stinkies, then the average would go down to 215 or so per pair. But since my Burns (one of the pairs -- my "racing flats") have seen fewer miles, there's a chance one or the other pair is over 300 now.
I guess this is not as bad as I was afraid it would be when I started this post. But it is definitely time to buy a couple more pairs of shoes.
I did not do New Year's Resolutions. Did all of you out there? I was thinking today I should set a goal or two for myself for the year. Run 2 marathons? Do a triathlon? (long sprint? Olympic? 70.3? Full Iron?) Goals are not the same as resolutions, are they?
But now I've got to get to bed. My eyes are burning. Do yours do that when you're tired?
I want to talk about writing, Tour de Georgia, and other stuff. But not tonight. Have I ever told my unreliable memory story? I was telling it tonight at REI. It's bad when I can't remember things I've talked about in the blog.
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