Quote of the Day

“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.”

- Goethe

Taking Stock

I received a call this past Wednesday while the dawg and I were terrorizing B. Hills. It seemed my assistant and my stand-in were drowning in work. The demands of the desk were overwhelming them. I encouraged them to go to the higher-ups for assistance and gave them some info on a couple of files.

After I hung up, I dialed the higher-ups directly to call in the reinforcements. I hung up after the first ring. The assistant and stand-in are adults. If they truly need help, they will ask for it. I am not going to micro-manage them while on my vacation in B. Hills.

Understandably, I approach my return to the House of Pain today with a certain amount of trepidation.

During the Thanksgiving festivities, a family friend asked how the "Credit Crunch" had effected my industry. I gave him the holiday-cliff-notes version of The Great Upheaval and his response was, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

I totally understand what he was saying - "Hang in there - you will be the better for it" etc etc. I remember learning that phrase when I was in High School and I will admit that I gained a certain amount of "backbone" from it. But now I am old(er) and tired(er).

I know this all won't kill me - but I am not much interested in being any stronger. Let's pass on the "I feel like I'm going to die part" and you can keep your "stronger".

It's like the other saying - "Pain is just weakness leaving your body". Well, okay. But it's the PAIN part that I have a problem with. I don't mind being weak(er). I will keep the "weakness" and you hang onto the pain part.

"Keep your 'Ho there'. I will no be moved!." (princess bride reference)

Hey - It's the Monday after my vacation - what did you expect?

Just for fun - here's 10 minutes of Princess Bride Goodness . . .

Quote of the Day

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

- Confucius

VA CA SHUN - Days 8-9

Saturday morning I got up and just couldn't manage. I had a HUMONGOUS list of things that I had wanted to accomplish on my vacation but my twisted ankle somewhat limited me during the first half of the week - then we were out of town for three days and now . . . *sigh* . . . I just couldn't manage.

As I get older, I find travelling to be more and more exhausting. We had a wonderful, relaxing three-day Thanksgiving and now I needed to recover - by doing nothing.

I basically sat around and read all day.

Sunday, being the last day of vacation and the house being in a general state of disarray, was "go time". The wife and I got up and knocked out a significant number of chores and now it is back to the grind.

Quote of the Day

Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste death but once.

- Julius Caesar

The World is Bass-Aackwards

The first part of this REALLY annoys - but watch to the end . . .

Its' Chocolate-Covered Pretzels for Me Then

The Final Sprint points to this study on the importance of sugar to running.

At what point are they just going to say - "Look, eat a balanced diet of carbs, protein and fats along with a little coffee, a little alcohol, some candy and some chips and you should be fine."?

Tangy Turkey and Swiss Sanwiches

"These sandwiches are absolutely amazing! The combination of ingredients with a special sandwich spread helps to create a taste beyond compare."

Recipe Here.

VA CA SHUN - Days 5-7

So Wednesday morning we loaded up the pooch and three days worth of luggage and headed to Beverly . . . "Hills, that is. Swimmin pools, movie stars . . ."

The wife had a get together with some work-types which the dawg and I begged off. The dawg and I walked around West Hollywood - found a park, spread out the blanket and relaxed in the sun.

Once the wife joined us, we had a picnic with all the left-overs I had cleaned out of the fridge as I didn't want them to go bad while we were out of town. We checked into a Motel 6, spent some time at another park and then repaired to the hotel room and ordered Chinese food to be delivered.

Thanksgiving morning, I awoke in the darkness (as I usually do) and quietly loaded up the dawg and headed out to look for something to do while the wife slept in like any normal person would.

All I had packed was shorts and a t-shirt (and my Thanksgiving duds that I didn't want to get dirty yet). We stopped by a Starbucks for a bucket o' Latte and then headed back to Warner Park. It was COLD. Okay, not cold by Nanuck-of-the-North standards but plenty cold by So-Cal standards. We walked the entire 20-acre park and then loaded back into the Jeep.

Only - try to find something to do at 6:30am on Thanksgiving morning in LA, WITH A DAWG. I stopped by McDonald's, refilled the coffee and headed back to the park by default.

I let the dawg off the leash and wrapped a beach towel around me for warmth. I sat at a picnic table and read one of my vacation books. I thought to myself, "You know, if it wasn't for this dawg, I would be warm and cozy inside a Starbucks right now. Not sitting on a concrete picnic bench which might-as-well-be carved out of ice, freezing my yarbles off."

That's when I realized again, if it wasn't for this dawg, I would not have sought out West Hollywood park yesterday. If it wasn't for this dawg, we would not have had a picnic or walked through Warner Park yesterday. If it wasn't for the dawg, I wouldn't be up, outside, watching the sunrise in the cold. If it wasn't for the dawg, my life would be less adventurous.

I picked up a cappuchino for the wife on my way back to the hotel around 8am.

We went out to breakfast and then for a 2-mile nature hike (again courtesy of the dawg) along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains and then went back to the hotel to freshen up for the Thanksgiving gathering where we joined up with this guy and his family. . .

Thanksgiving was a great success and a good time was had by all.

The wife and I headed back to the Motel 6 and turned in.

Friday morning was a replay of the previous morning - up in the dark, loaded up the dawg and headed for the park. There was another dawg off-leash at the park in the pre-dawn stillness. The two had a great romp while I chatted with the other dawg's owner.

Since it was the "Day after Thanksgiving" the local Barnes and Noble was opening at 7am. The dawg and I got a cuppa-joe and settled in to one of their reading chairs.

Around 8:30 we picked up some coffee for the wife and headed back to the hotel where we packed up for the drive home.

On the way back to San Diego, we stopped by to have lunch with these folks and then stopped off in Manhattan Beach for a stretch and some sushi.

Then it was home-sweet-home.

It was a nice, drawn out, relaxing Thanksgiving. Just as it should be.

Happy Thanksgiving

Bumped to the top for Holiday Cheer!

144 Years Ago Today

On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Civil War cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

VA CA SHUN - DAY 4

Got up and drained my half of the coffee pot.

Guess what I did next?! THAT'S RIGHT! Took the dawg to dawg park.

Look, I have a twisted ankle and I need to stay off it as much as possible. I also need to decompress during this oh-so-brief va-ca and that means reading NOT doing chores. AND the dawg is eating the hose so he needs his exercise. That means him running amok, eating the faces off other dawgs while I sit in the camping chair, book in hand.

After that we stopped by petsmart to stock up and then headed for home.

I dropped off the dawg and made a trip to Home Depot where this had been unpacked and then to Albertsons where I endured THIS.

Afterwards I did a little of this, a little of that, picked up the kitchen, fixed the swing step (yes, we have a step that attaches to the trailer hitch and swings out from underneath the car so the dawg doesn't have to jump so far - apparently, they don't make them anymore which explains why I am having to FIX mine) , made cranberry sauce for 20 and washed the dawg - who is now intent on shaking off today's bath in EVERY SINGLE ROOM IN THE HOUSE! Hey! you missed the closet in the guest . . . never mind.

At this point "all our bags are packed and we're ready to go . . . " we are headed to LA for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow to hang out with the other 18 people who will be eating Cranberry Extraordinaire.

Light, if any, blogging until Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Make it a day filled with love, peace and gratitude.

Hang on everyboy! Here we Goooooo!

I stopped by the grocery store today to pick up ingredients for 20 servings of Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire:

It was as if the Department of Motor Vehicles had closed it's doors and advised everyone to head to Albertsons to search until they found something that sounds good for Thanksgiving.

It was madness. It was terrifying.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why two grown adults are incapable of navigating their shopping carts past one another in an aisle that is two-and-a-half shopping carts wide.

And what is with parking your cart in the middle of the aisle? And don't get me started on these goofy plastic shopping-cart-add-ons shaped like cars and buses and whales all intended to keep your dear, sweet child quiet because you lack the parental fortitude to do it yourself. AND THEN YOU TRY AND 180 THAT THING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE?!! TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING??!!

Lest you think I am slipping into my usual holiday curmudgeonly blues or overstating a minor irritant as "terrifying"; consider this . . . that bumbling buffoon who cannot operate a 15 lb shopping cart at 2 1/2 miles an hour will soon be careening down the highway behind the wheel of a 3000lb SUV at 75 miles an hour - yapping on their cel phone while trying to cue up the dvd to get their kids to stop hitting one another while trying to figure out why the navigation screen keeps going all "funny" and "Oh, I almost spilled my Latte" all while switching lanes in front of you without warning . . .

If that doesn't get you to look over your shoulder the next time you're loading your groceries into your car I don't know what will . . .

Maybe we should have grocery store bouncers - not unlike the bartender, who when asked for another round for you and your boisterous friends, raises an eyebrow and asks, "Hold on now, which one of you is driving?"

"Hey! You! Yeah, you with the cart parked 90 degrees in the middle of the baking and spice aisle while you stagger around searching in vain for the hamburger helper - I am going to need to speak to your designated driver or I am going to need your car keys."

"And by the way, don't let me catch you in the liquor aisle again . . ."

Sheesh.

VA CA SHUN - Day 3

Woke up this morning got dressed and headed out. The wife was going to work from home in the morning and so I thought it would be best to get out from underfoot - not distract. Not fight over the sole computer we own.

I think we are actually very good about sharing the computer but there are times when it is like sitting at a four way stop.

"You go ahead"

"No you."

"I was here first but I am letting you go ahead."

"No, really, I like sitting at stop signs . . ."

"Okay, I'll go"

"Just. Great. I guess I will just sit HERE AND WAIT!"

Since I am all out of magazines, the dawg and I headed to the local bookstore to pick up some vacation reading material. I was looking for fluff. 400 pages or so that I could whip through in 3 or four sittings. Nothing struck me.

I settled on two books:

And:
I fully expect to be disappointed by the second. I bought it because I enjoy Laura Ingraham's radio show and whenever one of these books comes out I feel like "This is the one that will have been really worth buying":

After that we haded to dawg park where I read while the dawg chewed on the faces of other dawgs. After 2 1/2 hours HE STILL WAS NOT TIRED. It was all I could take - we headed home and I started putzing around the house.

I backed up the Itunes to an external drive which basically locked up the 'puter for an hour+.

So I cleaned the fridge. Now, now . . . I am sure there are nay-sayers out there that wonder why I would spend my vacation cleaning out the ice box. But behold the glory!

I know what you're thinking: "Hey, no beer!" I know. It makes me sad too.

We met up with some friends in Old Town for dinner and that was a wrap. Three days of VA CA SHUN under the bridge.

It's going by too fast . . .

New! For Christmas! The ALL NEW Commodore 64k!

I clicked over to http://www.amazon.com/ this morning to look for a book on Balboa Park and - Aaaack! What spawn from digital H-E-double hockey sticks is THIS?!

Relax, it is only a retrospective on how far we have come in the past few . . wait . . . no . . .it can't be . . . its:

Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
"This is the future of book reading. It will be everywhere." Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball and Liar's Poker.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Price: $399.00 & includes FREE Two-Day Shipping. See Details

Availability: In stock on November 29, 2007. Order it now. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Get that "In Stock on November 29, 2007" and no doubt November 2008 and November 2009 . . .

Attention Amazon employees, I you're humble Dawg Run blogger, know what the company will be giving you for Christmas 2009 - but you will never get it out of me! MWAAAHAHAHAHA!

This is the type of thing that makes the Apple folks clap their hands to their mouths to stifle the screams of horror - just before they break into a grin, double over in silent laughter and then let loose with a roar of joy and buy everyone in the bar another round.

Just Plain Terrible.

Lileks, of course, has something to say about it:

"Thought about getting a Kindle, since I really want a portable book-reader that has lots of things to read. Then I realized it looks like a 1996 web page. Grey and black. Make it color, give me free versions of books I already bought from Amazon, and we’ll talk. And even then I’ll probably say no. If I’m going to buy something to replace books, it has to be Books Plus. It has to have the book equivalent of a commentary track and extras, like a DVD. Maps and pictures and music – the sort of add-ons that might turn the novel into a new form of literature, the thing we’ve been promised since CD-ROMS were supposed to change everything."

Check it out for yourself and despair . . .

For the youngsters, the Commodore 64k Reference is explained here .

Lileks on Whipple

That's WHIPPLE not RIPPLE (although you might think differently after this). Remember these commercials?



Lilek's disects the societal implications:

Mr. Whipple, as I’m sure you’ve heard, has died. He appeared in over 400 commercials as the fellow who tried to impose rules he himself could not follow, and thereby revealed not only the essential hypocrisy of the puritan impulse, but the uselessness of imposing any sort of “standards” on human behavior. That he himself was rebuked for failing to stay his own desire to squeeze, some say, was proof of a Natural Law above Whipple and the society he represented, but this was seen quite correctly by critics as a reflexive sop tossed to the reactionaries, a way of undercutting the existential truths Whipple’s failings represented. In a society without meaning or purpose, . . . .

And on it goes. Read the whole thing.

Quote of the Day

Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.

- T. Alan Armstrong

VA CA SHUN - Day 2

We started off the day as we should all start our Sundays (No, not with CBS Sunday Morning) by meeting up with friends at church.

When we lived in Seattle, we regularly went to a church that we LOVED. It has been hard to find one that fits the bill since we have been back in San Diego. Part of the reason is that we have been too busy on Sundays to even attend church. Part of the reason is that we have been so busy the other six days of the week that when we get to Sunday, we can't muster the gumption to get dressed and get out the door.

It's one of those catch-22 situations - not unlike running. You need to run regularly to stay physically, mentally, and emotionally fit. When life starts beaning you with fast balls from all directions is exactly the time you need to get out and RUN but you can't because you are too busy worrying about where the next high-hard-and-fast one is coming from.

Church is the same way - we should all be going regularly - especially when we are too busy or stressed to. Go figure.

I will spare you my review of the service. It's just not right to go to church and then sit down over hot wings, pizza and a pitcher of beer to critique the work of God's people. But of course you have to when you are looking for a new church to attend. And that is exactly what we did.

Afterwards the wife wanted to run an errand which left me doing laps in the strip mall with the Dawg. The dawg and I parked it next to a fountain and waited for the almost inevitable child or two to come by and reverently ask if they can pet the dawg. Every now and then, a child will ask if they can hold the leash - which I suppose is the teenager's equivalent to sitting the driver's seat of a parked car. I usually wait to see how they react to holding the reins and then suggest that they take the dawg for a walk on their own - which is usually greeted with stunned looks of joyful amazement. This time was no different. The 45 pound urchin walked the 90 pound dawg around the fountain in astonishment.

It truly is amazing how much happiness a well-behaved dawg can bring to people. Often times I see looks of joy spring on peoples faces as they point from passing cars, "Look! IT'S A DAWG!" at least I assume they are talking about the dawg and not pointing at me and saying, "Look! That guy is ASTONISHINGLY HANDSOME!"

After the strip mall, we headed home and the wife took a nap while I putzed in the yard. Just as Sundays should be.

I Guess I Like "Chick Tunes"

It is rare that I ever get too excited about someone else's playlist. Music is just too personal a thing, I guess.

However The Final Sprint did point me to three playlists on Her Active Life that I mostly enjoyed and I thought I would share.

The first two are here.

The third is here.

Enjoy!

Is the Mouse Included?

Elizabeth pointed out this article that I skipped this morning - I am glad I took a second look:

Key Graphs:

"Serendipity 3 set a Guinness world record on November 7 for the most expensive dessert when it partnered with luxury jeweler Euphoria New York to create "Frrozen Haute Chocolate," a blend of 28 cocoas fused with 0.2 ounces of edible 23-karat gold.

"It comes with an 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds at the base of the goblet. The sundae is topped with whipped cream covered with more gold and a side of La Madeline au Truffle from Knipschildt Chocolatier, which sells for $2,600 a pound."

There just seems to be one little problem:

"Serendipity 3 on the Upper East Side failed its second consecutive health inspection in a month on Wednesday night after health officials found a live mouse, mouse droppings in multiple places, flies and dozens of live cockroaches, the Heath Department said.

"[Serendipity 3] has been forced to shut its doors temporarily due to an infestation of mice and cockroaches."

Finally, I have a reason to use this video:

Runner Breaks Leg - Crawls to the Finish Line

The Final Sprint Points to this article - read it yourself.

Key Graphs:

"Ask Markwardt to tell you her memories from the meet, and the first thing she mentions is how perfect the entire day was supposed to be. She was to run the biggest race of her life in the morning. As soon as it finished, she was to drive with her dad from Columbus to Warren, where she would be the maid of honor in her big sister Anna's wedding that night.

"At the 1- and 2-mile markers, Markwardt was on a personal-best pace. Then, as she entered the stadium at Columbus' Scioto Downs, with about 400 meters to go, she heard her left leg crack. . .

"When she heard the crack, Markwardt thought it was a muscle pull or tear. She thought she could gut it out to the finish line.

"'There was a runner from one of our rival schools right in front of me,' she said. 'I kept staring at the back of her jersey and pushing myself to catch her.'

"But some 200 meters later, Markwardt heard the leg crack again. And again. Then there was a louder crack, and her entire leg gave out. She fell to the ground as onlookers winced at the sound and the sight of what happened.

"One of Markwardt's teammates, unaware of what had happened, encouraged her to get up. She tried, using her right leg. But as soon as she shifted weight to the left, the loudest crack yet came. And her leg gave out again.

"'At that point, I knew what had happened. I knew my leg was broken pretty badly. And I knew I couldn't get up again. So I started crawling,' she said.

"'I had come so far. Our team had come so far. All season, we had been working for state, and now we were there. I was almost done, and there was no way I was going to let the team down.'"

Sort of makes this seem insignificant.

Quote of the Day

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle when the sun comes up you'd better be running.

- Anon

This is @!$%&*#@! Bogus

"Survey says 'never mind the b******s'

"Allowing staff to swear at work can benefit them and their employers, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia."

Hello? Just the type of study to be put out by a bunch of academic pin-heads. What brings solidarity to the work place is doing things you aren't supposed to do while hiding them from "the man". Such as:

1) Swearing (when customers are not around)
2) Drinking on the job (a 4:30pm Friday margarita can do wonders for staff morale)
3) Calling your boss a first-class moron whose lack of people skills is exceeded only by his Napoleonic complex (whoopsie, did I say too much?)

Swearing is not the key - "breaking the rules" is.

One of the first things I say to my assistants is, "My wife and I have been married for over 15 years - we STILL get on each others nerves from time-to-time. Chances are, you will get on my nerves and I will get on yours. When you need to express yourself - do it verbally to a co-worker and not in an e-mail that will provide the proof that upper-management needs to fire you."

In other words - break the rules, don't get caught, then get back to !@#$%*$@! work!

The minute management says that swearing is "okay" is the minute the staff has to take it to the next level.

THAT doesn't sound productive.

The West is Best

The other day, I read this article about the "mythical" city of Shambhala.

Before reading this article, all I knew about Shambhala was the Three Dog Night song.

Apparantly, Shambhala is the real or imaginary (depending on who you talk to) birthplace of . . . well, take a read for yourself . . . .

"SHAMBHALA IS THE OLDEST and purest vision of enlightenment, a prophecy that became a place and, finally, a legend. Varieties of the myth are shared among Indian Hindus, Chinese Taoists, and Tibetans of both Buddhist and Bon persuasions. It is the Ultima Thule of the East, a promise that a golden age will be restored by the king of a great northern paradise, riding forth on a white horse to destroy the barbarians of the world, to stamp out materialism and immorality and bring an end to this dark cycle of time. It is, in other words, what human beings need to believe in. A promise of eternity, and the return of hope. "

Sounds pretty good, huh? Well, as they say, the devil is in the details. After reading the article, I came to a few conclusions:

1) I am glad I read the article
2) I am glad I live in America
3) I am glad I am a pseudo-presbyterian

I am sorry, but this Shambhala thing sounds pretty sucky.

BTW - the real kicker is at the end - read all the way through for some serious western-culture "I told-you-so-you-hemp-eater" justification.

UPDATE: I found this video on You Tube with the Three Dog Night song:

Quote of the Day

My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy.

- John Bryant

Happy Belated Birthday Michael!

Sorry - I couldn't resist. You did marry one of those groovy apple people though . . .

Priorities

Sean over at Views From Two Wheels points to a liver test that will tell you if you are drinking too much alcohol.

The test costs $200.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH BEER YOU COULD BUY FOR $200?!

VA CA SHUN - Part 1

YES! That's right. I am officially ON VACATION. The wife, dawg and I are headed through the looking glass on Wednesday to join up with a family of friends for Thanksgiving and then returning home on Friday. It seemed silly to go into the office for only two days (Mon - Tues) so I got someone to cover for me. We'll see if I have any clients left when I return. OH THE ANTICIPATION!

I slept in until 7:30! Keeping in mind I have been getting up at 3am for the past two months - 7:30am to me is like noon to someone who normally gets up at 7:30.

The Dawg and I loaded up and headed to dawg beach - me with my swollen ankle, camping chair and a swollen backpack full of reading material - him without a care in the world.

I actually brought along a notebook so I could list all the things I wanted to accomplish at home on my vacation and task them to the appropriate days. Number of things I have accomplished on today's list? 1. Going to dawg beach (unless you count sitting on the deck with a vodka-tonic, smoking a cigar and reading a book as an accomplishment).

Although, while at dawg beach, I read this article that I found strangely touching. I forget, am I supposed to be mad about the illegals or the flesh and blood equivalent of Statue of Liberty?

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Indeed.

I also read this article about John L. Parker Jr., the author of Once a Runner a book of cult-like-status in the running world that he wrote 30 years ago. The article was written to cover his sequel to Once a Runner - Again to Carthage the title of which, of course, is taken from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice:

"In such a night
Stood Dido with a willow in her hand
Upon the wild sea banks, and waft her love
To come again to Carthage."

(I only knew that because I read the article) Admit it - you were impressed for a moment.

Here is an excerpt from the book in case you are interested. I particularly liked this one:

"Picking his way carefully along the trail, he thought about something he had read about the great alpine climbers. As children, they grew up surrounded by a vast landscape of unattainable peaks. As they grew older, stronger and more skillful, when they looked up, they saw more and more places they had been to and to which they could return at will. That zone of accessibility would grow and grow over the years until the very best of the guides could stand in their village squares and turn full circle, searching the horizon in vain for some tiny forbidden aerie they had not conquered, some remote crag beyond their powers.

"It would have to be a wonderful and prideful thing, to feel so thoroughly at home in such a daunting and beautiful landscape. But as they grew older, the climbers who survived would find that some peaks were difficult again, some climbs strangely taxing, some routes quite impossible. They would realize, to their surprise, that the process was reversible; that it was, in fact, reversing.

"You could see them, the aged former heroes sitting sadly in the village square, turning full circle to gaze at a frozen world once again inaccessible to them."

Well shootdang.

Running Joke, Part 7

The last time I went running was September 19th. Since then, I have been working 13 hour days 6 days a week. Things have started to regain equilibrium at work and I found myself going in at 6am instead of 4am yesterday. Dreams of getting back out and doing some running are starting to fill my head.

Except that I rolled my right ankle on Halloween.

That's right, stepping from the kitchen to the family room, my foot buckled under and all 200 pounds of lovable me came crashing down on my right ankle. It is still swollen. Yesterday at work it hurt so bad I had to re-wrap it and pop some pain killers.

So, it's been over 8 weeks since I have run and even if I had the time now, I couldn't.

All this as a ignominious day approaches. Once we hit December, it will be TWO YEARS that I have been "training" for a marathon. TWO YEARS to do what takes the average person 6-12 months to do. I will not bore you with the details - you can click on the "Running" category to the right for that.

Suffice it to say, it's a bummer. So what should I do? Quit? After I have COME ALL THIS WAY? No siree. In the words of Van Morrision I am going to "carry on regardless".

But I must say, articles like these don't really help.

Hopefully, the Dawg and I will be back out there in a week or two . . .

Bring it.

Quote of the Day

"The truth is that running hurts."

Unknown

Happy Belated Birthday Deron!

Petra

Microsoft goes Apple

hahahaha - The Most Sig. Thing has a hilarious video - check it out

Happy Belated Birthday Kristy!

Notre Dame


This birthday wish brought to by the "Where have I been for the past 6 weeks" Charitable Trust

Quote of the Day

I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known.

- Emil Zatopek’s description of the Olympic Marathon win in Helsinki

Are You A Runner?

Depends.

John Bingham over at Runner's World says he is most definitely a RUNNER and not a JOGGER.

Bullet Points:

"I AM A RUNNER because my runs have names. I do tempo runs and threshold runs and fartlek runs. I do long, slow runs and track workouts. My runs are defined, even if my abs are not.

"I AM A RUNNER because my shoes are training equipment, not a fashion statement. The best shoe for me is the one that makes me a better runner. I choose the shoe that goes with my running mechanics, not my running outfit.

"I AM A RUNNER because I don't have running outfits. I have technical shirts and shorts and socks. I have apparel that enhances the experience of running by allowing me to run comfortably. I can say "Coolmax" and "Gore-Tex" in the same sentence and know which does what.

"I AM A RUNNER because I know what effort feels like, and I embrace it. I know when I'm pushing the limits of my comfort and why I'm doing it. I know that heavy breathing and an accelerated heart rate--things I once avoided--are necessary if I want to be a better runner.

"I AM A RUNNER because I value and respect my body. It will whisper to me when I've done too much. And if I choose to listen to that whisper, my body won't have to scream in pain later on.

"I AM A RUNNER because I am willing to lay it all on the line. I know that every finish line has the potential to lift my spirits to new highs or devastate me, yet I line up anyway.

"I AM A RUNNER because I know that despite my best efforts, I will always want more from myself. I will always want to know my limits so that I can exceed them.

"I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far.

"I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not.

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears . . .

So goes the tune from the "Small World" ride at Disneyland.

Turns out the world may only seem smaller because we have gotten larger. Elizabeth points to this article:

"If there's a sadder commentary on the state of American society, we can't think of it -- we've grown so fat we sink the boats of It's A Small World.

"According to Miceage, the boats routinely bottom out under the weight of super-sized riders, bringing the popular ride to a grinding -- literally -- halt. That's increased the wear and tear on the fiberglass boats, which have been in use since the ride opened during the 1964 World's Fair, when Americans, on average, weighed 25 pounds less than we do today."

You have to read it for yourself.

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

"Warm, spicy, and sweet, this wonderful Fall recipe is a guaranteed favorite for kids, and is great with smashed potatoes and buttered green beans."

Recipe Here

But I NEED a Jacuzzi . . .

The Final Sprint says that Saunas and Jacuzzi's are good for you.

Key Graphs:

"Sauna use increased run time to exhaustion by 32 percent, which would equal an improvement of approximately two percent in a full-length endurance time trial. Their blood volumes increased by more than seven percent, and higher blood volume increases endurance.

"If further research confirms these findings, athletes will be advised to use saunas after their workouts for several weeks before competition."

That's good science, man.

Hee Hee T's

Despair Wear

Congratulations Jane and Massimo!

The world will be better off with another one of these . . .

DUMBledor

So JK Rowling has "outed" Dumbledore. I won't rehash the controversy as the article does a fine job. But I do have some thoughts.

First of all, at what point does a work of art / literature etc. cease to be under the sole control and interpretation of its creator and take on a life of its own?

Monet, while painting Water Lilies could have had all sorts of intentions in the work he was creating.

But now that the art is complete it can, on some level, speak for itself. No longer is Claude's interpretation of the work the only interpretation. People can look at the piece for themselves and make their own judgements.

Monet may wish to convince everyone that the painting above is of the Eiffel Tower and that his intention all along was to paint an urban scene. I doubt many would take his side.

Similarly, JK Rowling can not now, once the book is done, impose any interpretation she wishes on her characters. They can speak for themselves are are open to the interpretations of others. Dumbledore is not gay just because JK Rowling says so.

The next question is, why is she saying so and why now?

Certainly, if it was important to Rowling to make one of the lead characters in her series gay, she could have written him that way. She did not. Her claim that she has hidden hard-to-find clues about his sexuality throughout the series begs the question, "Why keep him in the closet? Why not just out him and make your statement?"

I would venture a guess: because the market for children's books containing gay characters is very small outside the U.S. Public School System. To put it crassly, money was the motivating factor.

So knowing that on overtly gay character would hurt book sales, the author claims to have hidden clues throughout the series. But the question remains, "Why?"

I read all the books and I certainly did not get the impression that Dumbledore had an alternative sexual lifestyle. I did not get the impression that he had any sexual lifestyle at all. Mainly because he's ANCIENT. His sexual identity is a non-issue in the story. The whole issue would do nothing to add to the story - it would only detract.

So again, I ask, "Why?" To put it crassly once again - boorish, selfish, base meanness. JK Rowling has made her money - the series is through and on her way out to her limo, she has turned back to her fans (most of whom are children) and given them a big raspberry. "So long, Suckas!"

By putting money ahead of what we can only now assume are her principles - by keeping Dumbledore in the closet to "go along to get along"- Rowling disappoints the gay community. The message is - keep it in the closet if you want to be successful.

By coming out with this statement now, Rowling betrays her fans who may have thought twice about the series had they known her intentions. I imagine some are not feeling 100% about all the hard-earned cash they shelled out for the series.

By obfuscating this aspect of her work and then coming "out" about it after-the-fact, she gives those who have banned the book from their homes on the bases of a perceived allure to the occult an opportunity to feel vindicated.

All that and she diminishes her own work with a pointless distraction. This is not helpful.

Then again, it's not solely up to Rowling to interpret her characters at this point. Dumbledore can speak for himself and readers can make their own judgments.

No doubt, many of her readers (most of whom are children), are capable of exercising better judgement than one of their favorite writers.

Happy Belated Birthday Lynne!

Walnut Tree

This birthday wish brought to by the "Get Caught Up Foundation"

Quote of the Day

Get going. Get up and walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.

- Ron Hill to Jerome Drayton during the 1970 Boston Marathon

Coffee is Good for You!

Okay, maybe not good - but it won't kill you right away.

The Final Sprint points to this article claiming that the water in a mug of joe offsets any potential diuretic effect of the caffeine.

Science just keeps getting better and better!

Hee Hee T's

Now that just hurts . . .

Despair Wear

Portuguese Chicken 1

"Creamy rich chicken in white wine sauce. Serve over rice."

Recipe Here.

Determination

I am not a fan of corporate motivational products. Beautiful scenes emblazoned with a buzz-word and a little ditty intended to get you to shut your yap and work harder for less money.

I much prefer this style.

I don't think I am incurable pessemist. I just wish I worked outside in the fresh air (on temperate days only of course) instead of trapped inside all the time pushing paper. I'm grumpy.

Unbeknowst to me, my wife was given a motivational calendar at work and rather than telling them to "fold it until it's all sharp corners and CRAM it" she very politely brought it home and left it on the desk.

I never saw it. If I had, I probably would have done this . . . .

It is the only thing he has ever grabbed off the desk while we were at work.

Good dawg. Good, good dawg.

Quote of the Day

“The New York Marathon: A fantastic event.”

- Pope John Paul II, 1982

An Everyman's Man . . . or something . . .

Okay, I am late on this one but Stephen Colbert penned a hilarious op-ed in the New York Times regarding his "bid" for the White House.

Teaser:

"I’d like to thank Maureen Dowd for permitting/begging me to write her column today. As I type this, she’s watching from an overstuffed divan, petting her prize Abyssinian and sipping a Dirty Cosmotinijito. Which reminds me: Before I get started, I have to take care of one other bit of business:

"Bad things are happening in countries you shouldn’t have to think about. It’s all George Bush’s fault, the vice president is Satan, and God is gay.

"There. Now I’ve written Frank Rich’s column too. "

Read the whole thing. Hilarious.

Sweet Mustard Chicken Bake

"This is an easy to prepare, delicious boneless chicken breast bake."

Recipe Here

Save Your Money for the Race-Entry Fees

The Final Sprint points to this study claiming that there is no internal difference between cheap running shoes and expensive ones.

I, personally, am enduring enough running injuries as it is without risking it. I think I will stick with the these for the time being.

Cask Ale

My friend, Elizabeth, pointed me to this article in the New York Times. Key Graphs:

"If mass-market kegs are the Wonder bread and Velveeta of the beer world, cask ales are like fresh-baked loaves or artisanal cheeses, with the potential to be glorious but risky all the same. They have a shelf life of two to four days once opened, and if not tapped correctly they can be a big disappointment.

“'I’ve literally had to go into places and say, ‘That’s it, you can’t have our beer,’'” said Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewery, which produces 9 to 14 casks of ale a week. “It’s a very touchy thing, because there are people who’ve read about cask beer and want to serve it, but they don’t really understand what it takes and they’re not willing to make the commitment. The galling thing is it doesn’t take that much time.”

Makes me thirsty thinking about it . . .

Hee Hee T's

Aww c'mon - smile - it's just a t-shirt

Despair Wear

The Holidays Are Here

Check out this great quote from The Most Significant Thing:

"Thanksgiving is coming! Can't you hear it? It sounds like clinking glasses and yelling children and it looks all cluttered with the mismatched chairs, but it's awesome. I suppose it's supposed to look like the Pottery Barn catalog, but there's a reason why those photos are completely devoid of people."

Good stuff, yo.

My Grandfather's Son

To my knowledge, Hillsdale College is the only college in the United States that refuses Federal Funds. Their belief is that to accept Federal money would give the government influence over the educational process.

The college sends out a newsletter for free called Imprimus which I highly recommend.

The latest edition of Imprimus included an interview with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas regarding his new book "My Grandfather's Son."

Here is an excerpt:

Q: A lot of people tend to define you by your race and you don’t seem to. Why do you think that is?

CT: We’ve become very comfortable with making judgments about people based on immutable characteristics. And look what we’ve degenerated to—look what happened to the Duke lacrosse team, where because there are rich white boys and a poor black girl, so many people assumed an automatic narrative. What happens to the truth, then? How is that different from the stereotypes of the days of Jim Crow? I often say, “I don’t hire women law clerks.” People are shocked. But I don’t hire women law clerks—I hire the best law clerks. And it turns out that 30 percent of them happen to be women. If a woman graduates from law school and I say I’m going to hire her because I need a woman, that seems to me dehumanizing, and the job would be tainted. That’s my attitude.

Read the whole thing - then add the book to your Christmas Wish List.

That's Not Right . . .

Honey Pecan Pork Chops

"This recipe is both unbelievably easy and indescribably delicious. It takes only a few minutes to prepare. Just cook the cutlets in butter, and then heat honey and pecans in the drippings to make the sauce. Try serving with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans. This is guaranteed to be a favorite!"

Recipe Here

Hee Hee T's

Despair Wear

1977 JC Penney’s catalog!

This is funny stuff . . . .

The Fountain of Youth

CBS Sunday morning did a piece on scientific efforts to slow the aging process. They interviewed this lady at the top of the segment:

(CBS) In a quiet Boston suburb, on the appropriately named Elder Road, Esther MacKay has made it to 102 years old - and counting.

Born in 1905, MacKay traveled the world during a long career in the military. Lately she’s been honored as the Air Force’s longest-living chief master sergeant.

For MacKay, there’s no mystery about what’s gotten her this far.

"I had three no-no’s in my rules growing up," she told CBS News technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg. "One was no smoking. Two was no drinking. Three, no sex. That’s it, one, two, three."

Okay . . . . you might live longer but would you want to?

Wine

Hugh Hewitt pointed out this website a few days back: Wine for Novices

Leave a Penny Take a . . . Oh, just LEAVE a Penny

Pennies can be frustrating. For one, they are so ubiquitous - when was the last time you walked more than 100 yards without encountering the desecrated image of Lincoln underfoot and imbedded in a wad of chewing gum?

"Why can't we just get rid of them?" is the familiar refrain. And do what? Go to multiples of 5? All that would serve is to make the nickle the new object of scorn. You think it's bad carrying around a bunch of pennies? Try nickles. They weigh, like, twice as much!

I only bring this up to say it could be worse. Burma (or Myanmar) has been in the news quite a bit lately. Apparently, the country has two names and monks are marching in the streets and being arrested and/or shot by military folks.

Sound bizarre? Try this one - their fiscal year starts on April 1st (that's right - April Fool's Day). And with good reason - their monetary policy is based on multiples of . . . . . wait for it . . . . . . NINE.

"You know get this, ten years ago Burma's top general made a bizarre currency decision. He introduced new bills, all multiples of nine. It was a lucky number according to his astrologer."

That would mean that gumballs would be 27 cents.

The entire economy has been built around the idea of the 99 cent store.

No wonder the monks are so pissed . . . .

Hello? . . . .

What a wonderful week of blogging it has been. If I may be so bold, this past week was some of my best work. What's that you say? I haven't posted anything since 10/25? Okay technically, you are correct. But, oh the things I have posted in my mind!

I assure you, I have not given up on blogging. Many of the posts that would have gone up this past week or so have been tossed in a barrel to be used (hopefully) in the not-too-distant future.

Its just that 80-90-hour work weeks have a way of intruding on my personal time. I worked a full day yesterday (Saturday) and - after pumpkin pancakes at IHop with the wife this morning - I will be heading into the office for what I hope will be a 1/2 day. Then it's a 4-hour weekend and back to it in the morning.

And my assistant has the day off tomorrow.

Before I forget, Sean @ The Most Significant Thing has a great post that illustrates what his close friends know to be his true inner madness.

Back to those 80-90-hour work weeks. . . .

I am a salaried / commissioned employee. But in the strange nether-reaches of corporate logic the corporate bots have to cough-up time-and-a-half if I work overtime. At this point I am sitting on a king's ransom of neglect-your-family.

Not because I want to, mind you - but because our industry is cut-throat like never before. Whole companies are closing their doors - not to mention individuals going out of business - and it is a mad scramble to stay alive.

It is as if you are hemorrhaging business from one part of your body while injecting business at another point. "Never mind the IV drip! Squeeze the bag, man!"

So what does my completely pointless time card look like?

8-noon, 1-5
8-noon, 1-5

and so on . . .

My supervisor came to me the other day with my totally bogus time card in her hands. "We all know you have been working overtime and you need to put it on your time card."

"No", I replied. "I don't want to be paid overtime because you and I both know that the first paycheck I get that includes overtime will be my last."

She had no reply, nodded her head in agreement and left. . .

Overtime is the law at my company in the way that the speed limit is the law in Southern Cal. The surest way to get creamed on the highway is to drive the speed limit. Claim overtime and it's "It has been a pleasure working with you".

No sir, you hit that on-ramp and you give her the gas . . . After all, you need to get back to the office . . .

I guess . . . .