Today I ran 5 miles under pretty much the same weather conditions I struggled with so badly on my 5.69 mile run on Tuesday. However, although the heat and humidity made the noontime run unpleasant, I found myself abounding with energy once I had recovered from the tough start (sometimes I struggle a bit at the beginning of my runs). The only reason I cut off my run at 5 miles was the limiting factor of time: I began my run too late in the day and had to get ready for work! But why was today's run more energetic than Tuesday's?
On Monday I didn't eat very much. Yesterday though, I ate a whole large cheese pizza on my lunch break at work. Tuesday I ran with few carbohydrates to draw upon; today I was carb-loaded! Which makes me ponder...
Should I deliberately load up on carbs the day before every training run or just do it before an especially long run or a public race? I know one thing: I can't afford to be wolfing down whole pizzas 3 to 4 times a week! I'll have to just settle with some good old-fashioned home-cooked pasta instead...
I suppose, as with many things in life, the resolution of this question of carb-loading comes down to a matter of doing things in moderation. Sure, the day before a planned long run (10 miles or more) or before a race I can go all out with the pizza, pasta, or pancakes. And if an ordinary training run is planned the next day, I'll eat more carbs, just in moderation.
I would like to get back to running 7 miles minimum, with at least one 10-plus mile venture per week, so hopefully on Saturday during my next planned run I'll be able to pull it off. I'll just precook some noodles, mix them with some tasty stuff, and take it to work for lunch Friday. Mucho mas barato!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
State and Regional Names for Pro Sports Teams
I don't care for the all-too-common practice of giving professional sports franchises the name of an entire state, or even in one case, an entire region of the country. Here is a list of some of the most notable culprits:
Minnesota Vikings (football/NFL)
Minnesota Twins (baseball/AL)
California Angels (baseball/AL)
New England Patriots (football/NFL)
Colorado Rockies (baseball/NL)
Utah Jazz (basketball/NBA)
New Jersey Nets (basketball/NBA)
New Jersey Generals (football/USFL)
Michigan Panthers (football/USFL)
Kentucky Colonels (basketball/ABA)
Indiana Pacers (basketball/ABA,NBA)
Texas Rangers (baseball/AL)
Florida Marlins (baseball/NL)
Florida Panthers (hockey/NHL)
The Floridians (basketball/ABA)
Teams like the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers, and the old California Angels (now corrected to be the Los Angeles Angels) all have competing franchises in the same states (Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants). The Marlins are moving into their new baseball stadium next year in downtown Miami and will change their name to the Miami Marlins, a much more pleasant-sounding name that actually was the former minor league team's name before Miami was awarded a major league franchise.
I don't understand why the Patriots felt the need to change their name from Boston to New England: it is almost a "given" that Boston major league sports teams are naturally followed in New England states anyway.
Perhaps the Denver franchise called itself "Colorado" because "Denver Rockies" sounds a lot like the old ABA team "Denver Rockets" (which changed their nickname to "Nuggets" when accepted into the NBA in order to avoid conflicts with that league's already-established San Diego/Houston Rockets franchise). Besides, Colorado + Rockies makes sense.
I also get the fact that "Texas" is indispensable to its nickname "Rangers". But the name still implies some following even in the Houston area. On the other hand, Houston's NFL franchise did a payback of sorts when it was nicknamed "Texans".
And although I'm not cool with the Vikings, I can understand using "Minnesota" in conjunction with its nickname "Twins", which refers to the "twin cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul. If you're going to identify yourself with TWO cities, then I suppose you might as well bring in the rest of the state!
Perhaps the strangest of all these was the old ABA franchise The Floridians. Formerly called the Miami Floridians (still an awful name), they sought to survive as a viable franchise by playing a handful of games in the Tampa area. Hence the strange name change.
Back before there were any Florida teams in Major League Baseball, the general regional team that fans supported was the Atlanta Braves. Now there was no need for the Braves to call themselves the "Deep South Braves". Just as virtually all of the state of Wisconsin follows its Green Bay Packers in football and doesn't need or want them called the "Wisconsin Packers", naming a franchise for a vast region or state is meaningless, and often a bit arrogant if other teams are located in the area.
Naturally, in college sports it is different because state universities go by the name of the institutions and not a specific location (unless the school in question is a branch). Hence, "Florida Gators" (for the University of Florida) is appropriate, not "Gainesville Gators" (although that sounds cooler).
Minnesota Vikings (football/NFL)
Minnesota Twins (baseball/AL)
California Angels (baseball/AL)
New England Patriots (football/NFL)
Colorado Rockies (baseball/NL)
Utah Jazz (basketball/NBA)
New Jersey Nets (basketball/NBA)
New Jersey Generals (football/USFL)
Michigan Panthers (football/USFL)
Kentucky Colonels (basketball/ABA)
Indiana Pacers (basketball/ABA,NBA)
Texas Rangers (baseball/AL)
Florida Marlins (baseball/NL)
Florida Panthers (hockey/NHL)
The Floridians (basketball/ABA)
Teams like the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers, and the old California Angels (now corrected to be the Los Angeles Angels) all have competing franchises in the same states (Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants). The Marlins are moving into their new baseball stadium next year in downtown Miami and will change their name to the Miami Marlins, a much more pleasant-sounding name that actually was the former minor league team's name before Miami was awarded a major league franchise.
I don't understand why the Patriots felt the need to change their name from Boston to New England: it is almost a "given" that Boston major league sports teams are naturally followed in New England states anyway.
Perhaps the Denver franchise called itself "Colorado" because "Denver Rockies" sounds a lot like the old ABA team "Denver Rockets" (which changed their nickname to "Nuggets" when accepted into the NBA in order to avoid conflicts with that league's already-established San Diego/Houston Rockets franchise). Besides, Colorado + Rockies makes sense.
I also get the fact that "Texas" is indispensable to its nickname "Rangers". But the name still implies some following even in the Houston area. On the other hand, Houston's NFL franchise did a payback of sorts when it was nicknamed "Texans".
And although I'm not cool with the Vikings, I can understand using "Minnesota" in conjunction with its nickname "Twins", which refers to the "twin cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul. If you're going to identify yourself with TWO cities, then I suppose you might as well bring in the rest of the state!
Perhaps the strangest of all these was the old ABA franchise The Floridians. Formerly called the Miami Floridians (still an awful name), they sought to survive as a viable franchise by playing a handful of games in the Tampa area. Hence the strange name change.
Back before there were any Florida teams in Major League Baseball, the general regional team that fans supported was the Atlanta Braves. Now there was no need for the Braves to call themselves the "Deep South Braves". Just as virtually all of the state of Wisconsin follows its Green Bay Packers in football and doesn't need or want them called the "Wisconsin Packers", naming a franchise for a vast region or state is meaningless, and often a bit arrogant if other teams are located in the area.
Naturally, in college sports it is different because state universities go by the name of the institutions and not a specific location (unless the school in question is a branch). Hence, "Florida Gators" (for the University of Florida) is appropriate, not "Gainesville Gators" (although that sounds cooler).
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
My Fitness Training Of Late
I remember that at this time last year I was focusing on running as my one big fitness activity, trying then to work around the sweltering hot summer weather predominant here in northern Florida. This year I have diversified a little, adding swimming and some cross-training in the weight room into the mix. And I am still dealing with the hot and humid weather, although thankfully (as you can see from the picture above, taken at my local Magnolia Parke Starbucks) we have lately been getting a lot of rain to quench those obnoxious forest fires that had been causing the stinky smoky haze for the previous few weeks. That haze has all but disappeared, and the record high temperatures earlier this month have abated as well, leaving unpleasant enough conditions to deal with anyway. To counteract the heat and humidity, I have been spending some of my workouts at my local YMCA's workout room, which they call the "Wellness Center" (as opposed to their other places that are devoted to sickness, I suppose).
Last Thursday (6/23), I got up and out early to the YMCA pool to find an open spot in which to swim. I swam about 150 meters straight, alternating as usual between freestyle and my "easy" backstroke. Friday (6/23) I slept in and hurried down to the YMCA to run on the treadmill. I managed a "feel good" 4.1 mile run at a time of 35:51 before I had to stop and get ready for work. Saturday (6/24) I was back in the Wellness Center, this time using the elliptical cross-trainer for 35 minutes (level 12-15 resistance). Sunday I went back again to the treadmill, covering 7.0 miles at a time of 58:39 and increasing my speed up to a 7:30/mile pace at the end. Another "feel good" run. Yesterday I managed to drag myself out of bed at get back to the pool, which was more crowded (uh-oh), even at 6:30 AM. I swam 300 meters straight this time, using my usual format. I'm optimistic about getting my distance higher and improving my form. Today I tried a late-morning road run around my neighborhood. It was brutal, with the temperature being 80 and the humidity 81% at the start. Originally intending to cover my course of 7.18 miles, I had to cut it short at 5.69 miles due to the adverse conditions. My time was a typically paced 52:39. My recovery from the run seems to be going pretty well.
Last year at this time I think I was running some longer distances outside, but I was generally resting on the days between runs instead of cross-training. Also, I was waiting until the humidity had dropped considerably, even if it meant running in 90+ degree conditions. So I can't really tell whether I'm doing better or worse than before. But the good news I have to report is that neither my old IT band injury or the recent top-left foot pain has bothered me at all during my workouts, regardless of whatever I have chosen to do recently...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Bond is Back
Well, it's about time! I was beginning to wonder if James Bond movies had been banned from TV for their often embarrassing political incorrectness, but no...the SciFi Channel is showing Goldeneye and Casino Royale today. Yippee!
Goldeneye was Pierce Brosnan's first of four movies as Bond, and in my opinion, his best. Sean Bean, forever etched in fantasy movie aficionados' hearts as the flawed-but-courageous character Boromir in Lord of the Rings, plays a great bad guy. And for almost pure, sadistic evil, there may be no character in the entire James Bond series to rival Xenia Onatopp, portrayed by Famke Janssen.
Casino Royale, an original Ian Fleming story (albeit obviously modified to fit the early 21st century) that was perverted in 1965 into a horrible Bond farcical movie with the same name, introduced one of my favorite Bond actors in Daniel Craig. Gone, though, were the often very humorous characters of Q and Miss Moneypenny. Then again, Craig's Bond isn't quite as much of a "kidder" as his predecessors. To add a touch of continuity between the Brosnan and Craig movies, Bond's boss M, played by Judy Dench, was retained.
Sci-Fi picked the two best James Bond movies of the last six made to show today. But still, to me that's stretching the genre of science fiction a bit.
Is there a "spy shows" channel around? Just think of the possibilities: Bond, the Bourne trilogy, Austin Powers, Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Prisoner, Secret Agent, The Avengers, Mission Impossible, Three Days of the Condor, Marathon Man, the Flint movies, the Harry Palmer movies, the Matt Helm movies, Get Smart, Honey West, I Spy, just to scratch the surface...
Goldeneye was Pierce Brosnan's first of four movies as Bond, and in my opinion, his best. Sean Bean, forever etched in fantasy movie aficionados' hearts as the flawed-but-courageous character Boromir in Lord of the Rings, plays a great bad guy. And for almost pure, sadistic evil, there may be no character in the entire James Bond series to rival Xenia Onatopp, portrayed by Famke Janssen.
Casino Royale, an original Ian Fleming story (albeit obviously modified to fit the early 21st century) that was perverted in 1965 into a horrible Bond farcical movie with the same name, introduced one of my favorite Bond actors in Daniel Craig. Gone, though, were the often very humorous characters of Q and Miss Moneypenny. Then again, Craig's Bond isn't quite as much of a "kidder" as his predecessors. To add a touch of continuity between the Brosnan and Craig movies, Bond's boss M, played by Judy Dench, was retained.
Sci-Fi picked the two best James Bond movies of the last six made to show today. But still, to me that's stretching the genre of science fiction a bit.
Is there a "spy shows" channel around? Just think of the possibilities: Bond, the Bourne trilogy, Austin Powers, Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Prisoner, Secret Agent, The Avengers, Mission Impossible, Three Days of the Condor, Marathon Man, the Flint movies, the Harry Palmer movies, the Matt Helm movies, Get Smart, Honey West, I Spy, just to scratch the surface...
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Exotic Scripts Impede My Language Study
One thing that has greatly impeded my study of certain languages has been difficult scripts. Even after mastering the writing and recognition of Arabic letters, it is still well-nigh impossible to determine how an unfamiliar word sounds just going by the writing, as short vowels are routinely omitted. Both Chinese and Japanese rely on ideographic characters (the former exclusively) that one already needs to know all about beforehand. And Japanese characters can be even more problematic, with their pronunciation varying widely depending on the context in which they appear and which words they are forming with other characters and the Japanese kana syllabary. But even beyond these seemingly insurmountable difficulties, to me it is very annoying to be slowed down in my drive to get a good sense of a language's flow and build up vocabulary and skill in its grammar while stumbling through a foreign script. For other languages like Korean and Hindi do have reasonably phonetic scripts but still impede my progress since I am so attuned to the Latin script.
So what should I do? For now, at least, I feel like continuing my painstakingly slow efforts with Chinese characters, but also focus my studies in general on texts providing romanized transliterations of the aforementioned "problem" languages. Later, I can tackle their scripts with a greater knowledge of what I expect to read.
With Russian's Cyrillic writing system (which I learned in 1976 and have used regularly ever since), this isn't a problem since I am quite adept in it on its own terms. But with the other scripts, well...the hurdles are awfully high and I'm not getting any younger.
Just keep in mind that language is intrinsically primarily oral as opposed to the written, its secondary form. Whatever helps the learner to better learn the spoken language, with its thousands of words that have to be learned to the point where they are recognizable during the ordinary flow of speech, along with unfamiliar grammatical rules (and the ever-present exceptions), is to be promoted.
So what should I do? For now, at least, I feel like continuing my painstakingly slow efforts with Chinese characters, but also focus my studies in general on texts providing romanized transliterations of the aforementioned "problem" languages. Later, I can tackle their scripts with a greater knowledge of what I expect to read.
With Russian's Cyrillic writing system (which I learned in 1976 and have used regularly ever since), this isn't a problem since I am quite adept in it on its own terms. But with the other scripts, well...the hurdles are awfully high and I'm not getting any younger.
Just keep in mind that language is intrinsically primarily oral as opposed to the written, its secondary form. Whatever helps the learner to better learn the spoken language, with its thousands of words that have to be learned to the point where they are recognizable during the ordinary flow of speech, along with unfamiliar grammatical rules (and the ever-present exceptions), is to be promoted.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Two Types of Rx Ads
There are two different types of ads I often see on TV these days that feature prescription medicines. One type promotes a newly introduced prescription drug suggesting to the potential user its benefits, while also indicating some of the drug's negative side effects (which sometimes includes "death"). The viewer is then urged to go to his or her physician and ask for the advertised drug.
Another type of ad also features prescription medicines, but in a much more negative light. These are the class-action lawsuit spots put out by law firms suing prescription companies over some of the nastier side effects of some medicines (also sometimes including "death"). The lawyers claim that anyone joining in on the suit won't have to pay them any fees if they lose, but I never hear them say whether the judge in the court won't force participants suing the companies to pay for court costs and the defendant's expenses. Of course, some of the cases have already been decided for the plaintiff and there is no risk of this happening, just an open invitation to sign up and join in on the spoils!
I have never felt at ease with the idea of medically untrained individuals choosing their own prescription medicine. Isn't this ignorance of medicine supposed to be the very reason they are going to a physician in the first place? Then again, I also realize that medical doctors probably don't know all that much about the actual drugs being hawked to them by aggressive salespeople (I almost always see one around whenever I'm paying my doctor a visit).
And to be perfectly blunt, although I know that certain prescription medicines are essential to maintaining some patients' health and even life, I wonder to myself (and now to you) how really necessary (or even desirable) many of them are. And how much of their sales are due to a manufactured, artificial sense of need created by advertising and the profit motive.
Another type of ad also features prescription medicines, but in a much more negative light. These are the class-action lawsuit spots put out by law firms suing prescription companies over some of the nastier side effects of some medicines (also sometimes including "death"). The lawyers claim that anyone joining in on the suit won't have to pay them any fees if they lose, but I never hear them say whether the judge in the court won't force participants suing the companies to pay for court costs and the defendant's expenses. Of course, some of the cases have already been decided for the plaintiff and there is no risk of this happening, just an open invitation to sign up and join in on the spoils!
I have never felt at ease with the idea of medically untrained individuals choosing their own prescription medicine. Isn't this ignorance of medicine supposed to be the very reason they are going to a physician in the first place? Then again, I also realize that medical doctors probably don't know all that much about the actual drugs being hawked to them by aggressive salespeople (I almost always see one around whenever I'm paying my doctor a visit).
And to be perfectly blunt, although I know that certain prescription medicines are essential to maintaining some patients' health and even life, I wonder to myself (and now to you) how really necessary (or even desirable) many of them are. And how much of their sales are due to a manufactured, artificial sense of need created by advertising and the profit motive.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Late Night Stargazing
Last night after work I was at home "unwinding" in front of the TV set when I decided to walk around my backyard in the dark. Once I was outside, after noticing how really badly the lawn needed mowing, I decided to move the bench that was on the back porch over into the middle of the yard. Then I lied down on it, facing the sky above.
Where I live, the city lights aren't overpowering but still inhibit star gazing to the point where being able to see 5th magnitude stars is problematic. Still, at about 1:30 AM the sky was studded with stars. I instantly recognized the constellations (I was oriented toward the north): Hercules, with its trademark "Keystone" asterism on the left, and Draco's dragonhead beneath it to the north. Above Hercules I could make out the northernmost stars of Ophiuchus, a constellation that resembles Jabba the Hut when traditionally drawn and which technically should have been the 13th sign of the Zodiac (scholar William Harwood believes there were originally 13 signs and Ophiuchus was one of them). Overhead and to the right were the three great summer constellations of Lyra, Cygnus, and Aquila, which respectively contain the stars composing my own asterism that I call the "Summer Triangle": Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Beyond these on the right, to the east, was the murky, darker section of the fall sky introducing Pegasus. To the west, beyond Hercules, was Bootes and Corona Borealis, and then trees obscuring my view. And turning my head down toward the house, I could see the Big Dipper asterism of the constellation Ursa Major, sideways with its handle up and spilling its imaginary contents onto my roof.
As I watched the sky, I noticed that Vega was only a few degrees from being directly overhead. And then I saw something I hadn't witnessed in quite a while. A bright, slow-moving meteor, beginning at about the northern fringe of "Jabba", streaked across the sky eastward, ending just a few degrees west of Altair.
All of this brought back memories of me as a kid in the 1960's in Hollywood, Florida, when I would also venture out at night into my backyard and observe the night sky, full it seemed of stars, summer lightning, fireflies, meteors, and the thick, overpowering smell of jasmine everywhere!
Where I live, the city lights aren't overpowering but still inhibit star gazing to the point where being able to see 5th magnitude stars is problematic. Still, at about 1:30 AM the sky was studded with stars. I instantly recognized the constellations (I was oriented toward the north): Hercules, with its trademark "Keystone" asterism on the left, and Draco's dragonhead beneath it to the north. Above Hercules I could make out the northernmost stars of Ophiuchus, a constellation that resembles Jabba the Hut when traditionally drawn and which technically should have been the 13th sign of the Zodiac (scholar William Harwood believes there were originally 13 signs and Ophiuchus was one of them). Overhead and to the right were the three great summer constellations of Lyra, Cygnus, and Aquila, which respectively contain the stars composing my own asterism that I call the "Summer Triangle": Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Beyond these on the right, to the east, was the murky, darker section of the fall sky introducing Pegasus. To the west, beyond Hercules, was Bootes and Corona Borealis, and then trees obscuring my view. And turning my head down toward the house, I could see the Big Dipper asterism of the constellation Ursa Major, sideways with its handle up and spilling its imaginary contents onto my roof.
As I watched the sky, I noticed that Vega was only a few degrees from being directly overhead. And then I saw something I hadn't witnessed in quite a while. A bright, slow-moving meteor, beginning at about the northern fringe of "Jabba", streaked across the sky eastward, ending just a few degrees west of Altair.
All of this brought back memories of me as a kid in the 1960's in Hollywood, Florida, when I would also venture out at night into my backyard and observe the night sky, full it seemed of stars, summer lightning, fireflies, meteors, and the thick, overpowering smell of jasmine everywhere!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Quizlet: a Good Site for Learning
A while back, my wife Melissa recommended to me a website she had come across that is a handy studying aid. Called Quizlet, it is a directory of different curricula submitted by the public, with various ways offered for students to self-quiz. There are many different categories of study topics offered, but I am particular to the language section. I take whichever language I want to practice my vocabulary from and choose a submission that contains what I deem to be an appropriate word list for me. Then I hit the "scatter" option on Quizlet and practice matching that language's words with their English equivalents. It's very easy to access, extremely flexible, and broad in the choices offered. I come away from sitting at Quizlet for about 30 minutes with the feeling that I have given my brain a good workout and that I have enhanced my knowledge and ability in whichever areas I have practiced.
Quizlet has a free membership and allows visitors to sign in. If you follow this course, then you can compete for "best times" in some of their games. For me, though, I prefer to simply visit and "play" anonymously without signing up.
I have been able to review the Japanese hiragana and katakana syllabaries, the Hindi writing system, and various vocabulary lists in languages like Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Polish, Hindi, and Arabic. I do have a problem with the Arabic offerings, though. The printed Arabic text here excludes the short-vowel markers that often accompany school texts. Without them, I can only guess as to the exact pronunciation of a particular word (unless of course it is a word that I have already learned). And all of Quizlet's Arabic vocabulary, sad to say, omits those necessary (for me) short vowel markers (an analogous situation exists with Hebrew).
There are other areas in Quizlet to explore besides languages. Just try it and get what you can from it! And if you are well-versed in an area and have an altruistic heart, you might consider submitting your own material to Quizlet to aid others in their learning quests!
Quizlet has a free membership and allows visitors to sign in. If you follow this course, then you can compete for "best times" in some of their games. For me, though, I prefer to simply visit and "play" anonymously without signing up.
I have been able to review the Japanese hiragana and katakana syllabaries, the Hindi writing system, and various vocabulary lists in languages like Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Polish, Hindi, and Arabic. I do have a problem with the Arabic offerings, though. The printed Arabic text here excludes the short-vowel markers that often accompany school texts. Without them, I can only guess as to the exact pronunciation of a particular word (unless of course it is a word that I have already learned). And all of Quizlet's Arabic vocabulary, sad to say, omits those necessary (for me) short vowel markers (an analogous situation exists with Hebrew).
There are other areas in Quizlet to explore besides languages. Just try it and get what you can from it! And if you are well-versed in an area and have an altruistic heart, you might consider submitting your own material to Quizlet to aid others in their learning quests!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Early Morning Swimming and Running
This morning I tried something I had been meaning to do but was avoiding because...well, getting up very early in the morning doesn't exactly fit well with my work schedule. I got up anyway and went to my local YMCA pool at about 6:15 to swim a few laps. Make that VERY few laps, as I haven't been there in a while and need to build up my distance again.
The outside temperature was a pleasant 70 degrees, expected to rise to near 100 today (it is already 96, just six hours later in the early afternoon when I'm writing this). The humidity was high at 89%, but who cares about that when you're swimming? The main thing was that there were no children there. Not that many of them aren't awake at that time of day: their parents (at least the ones at home with them) are probably still snoozing away in bed. But there were a lot of adults there this morning, taking up 3-4 of the six available lanes. The only one in the shallow section was an elderly lady doing water aerobics, so I picked that area to swim in. It was a positive experience and I plan to try it again tomorrow morning (easier said than done).
Upon getting back home, I decided to go ahead and run some as well, taking advantage of the reasonable temperature. My 4.1 mile jaunt around the neighborhood was both shorter and slower than usual. I seem to run better when the humidity is low, regardless of the temperature. But when it's very hot, like it is now at 96, my recovery can be slower. Right now I feel pretty good, except for a some static pain on the top of my left foot that seems unaffected by running.
I want to get back to alternating my running and swimming every other day. Let's see if I can drag myself out of bed consistently to do this!
The outside temperature was a pleasant 70 degrees, expected to rise to near 100 today (it is already 96, just six hours later in the early afternoon when I'm writing this). The humidity was high at 89%, but who cares about that when you're swimming? The main thing was that there were no children there. Not that many of them aren't awake at that time of day: their parents (at least the ones at home with them) are probably still snoozing away in bed. But there were a lot of adults there this morning, taking up 3-4 of the six available lanes. The only one in the shallow section was an elderly lady doing water aerobics, so I picked that area to swim in. It was a positive experience and I plan to try it again tomorrow morning (easier said than done).
Upon getting back home, I decided to go ahead and run some as well, taking advantage of the reasonable temperature. My 4.1 mile jaunt around the neighborhood was both shorter and slower than usual. I seem to run better when the humidity is low, regardless of the temperature. But when it's very hot, like it is now at 96, my recovery can be slower. Right now I feel pretty good, except for a some static pain on the top of my left foot that seems unaffected by running.
I want to get back to alternating my running and swimming every other day. Let's see if I can drag myself out of bed consistently to do this!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Super 8, 1979, & Pop Culture
The movie Super 8, directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, brought back to me vivid memories of the personally tumultuous year of 1979. The movie's writers were very careful, down to the month, to capture the culture of the era, including the dress and general appearance of the people, ongoing news stories, technological trends, and popular music.
One element of this which touched me (because I was keenly aware of it at the time) was the conflict escalating in 1979 between the disco era and the encroachment that the two emerging branches of rock music called "punk" and "new wave" were beginning to make on disco's supremacy. It all came to a head in the early summer of that year when an unknown British group called The Knack released a single titled My Sharona. Suddenly My Sharona was the biggest hit around, played incessantly it seems on the radio and sung, air-strummed, and thudded to by people (mainly young people). Super 8 captured this phenomenon perfectly.
Another trend noticed by this noteworthy film was the personalizing of music listening through the use of portable cassette players with headphones. Now, of course, we have the iWhatever devices, with the next logical step to this trend being cranial implants, I suppose (read Tad Williams' wonderful science fiction classic series Otherland to see where we're going with this). But back then, Walkman cassete players were the big novelty.
I saw Super 8 this past Sunday and would like to offer some more thoughts about it without giving away the story. So prepare yourself for more Super 8 analysis from me...
One element of this which touched me (because I was keenly aware of it at the time) was the conflict escalating in 1979 between the disco era and the encroachment that the two emerging branches of rock music called "punk" and "new wave" were beginning to make on disco's supremacy. It all came to a head in the early summer of that year when an unknown British group called The Knack released a single titled My Sharona. Suddenly My Sharona was the biggest hit around, played incessantly it seems on the radio and sung, air-strummed, and thudded to by people (mainly young people). Super 8 captured this phenomenon perfectly.
Another trend noticed by this noteworthy film was the personalizing of music listening through the use of portable cassette players with headphones. Now, of course, we have the iWhatever devices, with the next logical step to this trend being cranial implants, I suppose (read Tad Williams' wonderful science fiction classic series Otherland to see where we're going with this). But back then, Walkman cassete players were the big novelty.
I saw Super 8 this past Sunday and would like to offer some more thoughts about it without giving away the story. So prepare yourself for more Super 8 analysis from me...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Where's Bond?
I like watching escapist films, but not all. I like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (both on TV lately), and tend to tune in whenever a Harry Potter flick is on. It matters not how many times I've seen these movies: I just like watching the same scenes over and over again. Apparently, a lot of other people feel the same way, else they wouldn't keep showing them like they do. But lately I have become a little disturbed about what might be the longest-running escapist adventure series around, and the fact that NOBODY'S showing it: James Bond.
As an honest popular culture history indicator, you can't beat James Bond. The first movie, Doctor No, came out in 1962 and ever since, movie after movie churns out displaying what the producers think represents what is "cool" in society at that time, some of which hasn't stood the test of time and today seems silly, crude, or even chauvinistic.
I wonder if perhaps one of the reasons the Bond series hasn't been on TV lately is how, especially in the earlier movies, women tended to be marginalized as sex objects. I find this awkward myself, but I also realize that at the time those movies were out, a lot of this was "mainstream" in society. I can be pious and self-righteous from my politically-correct perch in 2011 about this portrayal of women, but then again I wonder which movies I currently like will be panned in similar ways twenty, thirty years from now.
I like the action, humor, pretension-to-coolness, implausible plot twists, Bond portrayals by different actors, and probably most of all, the bad guys in these movies. I also think it's interesting how the international political situation has been played out in these films over the years. Early on, China was often seem as a villainous power manipulating the two superpowers (portrayed in the movies as the Soviet Union and Great Britain, with the U.S. serving as a dim-witted-but-strong ally of the brilliant Brits). Later, China's image was cleaned up considerably.
One theme that tended to make the James Bond films relevant through time, in spite of their often (very) anachronistic social conventions, was the depiction of the villains as sponsors and perpetrators of international terrorism. For decades, Bond movies featured independent terrorist organizations often pitting the superpowers against each other to their own benefit while in the real world much of what was going on then was part of a proxy conflict between those powers. Now, we see the major countries having to deal with independent groups that remind me in ways of the Bond villains.
But that's really a side issue for me. I just like watching the James Bond movies for fun! Bring 'em back!
As an honest popular culture history indicator, you can't beat James Bond. The first movie, Doctor No, came out in 1962 and ever since, movie after movie churns out displaying what the producers think represents what is "cool" in society at that time, some of which hasn't stood the test of time and today seems silly, crude, or even chauvinistic.
I wonder if perhaps one of the reasons the Bond series hasn't been on TV lately is how, especially in the earlier movies, women tended to be marginalized as sex objects. I find this awkward myself, but I also realize that at the time those movies were out, a lot of this was "mainstream" in society. I can be pious and self-righteous from my politically-correct perch in 2011 about this portrayal of women, but then again I wonder which movies I currently like will be panned in similar ways twenty, thirty years from now.
I like the action, humor, pretension-to-coolness, implausible plot twists, Bond portrayals by different actors, and probably most of all, the bad guys in these movies. I also think it's interesting how the international political situation has been played out in these films over the years. Early on, China was often seem as a villainous power manipulating the two superpowers (portrayed in the movies as the Soviet Union and Great Britain, with the U.S. serving as a dim-witted-but-strong ally of the brilliant Brits). Later, China's image was cleaned up considerably.
One theme that tended to make the James Bond films relevant through time, in spite of their often (very) anachronistic social conventions, was the depiction of the villains as sponsors and perpetrators of international terrorism. For decades, Bond movies featured independent terrorist organizations often pitting the superpowers against each other to their own benefit while in the real world much of what was going on then was part of a proxy conflict between those powers. Now, we see the major countries having to deal with independent groups that remind me in ways of the Bond villains.
But that's really a side issue for me. I just like watching the James Bond movies for fun! Bring 'em back!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Freckles
Freckles is our five-year old mixed breed dog we picked up as a puppy from Puppy Hill Farms, a local sanctuary for abandoned dogs. And yes, the lawn needs mowing!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Arab Culture Professor and Islamophobia
I have been carrying around with me an interesting article I tore out of May 24's Independent Florida Alligator. The article, written by Michael Sykes, is titled "Arab culture professor discusses fear of Muslims". And the first word in the article is "Islamophobia".
Stephen Sheehi is the University of South Carolina professor of Arabic and Arab culture who paid a visit to Gainesville's politically far-left Civic Media Center to speak and discuss this issue. So what is Islamophobia, anyway?
According to Sheehi, it is "an irrational fear or hatred of Islam and Muslims, one of the inherent racist tropes in America."
So with this one statement I could see the speaker's own inherent bias: when speaking about America per se (as opposed to other places), racism is inherent. But how about all of those wonderful Muslim countries out there? How tolerant are they of other religions? Not very. As a matter of fact, going by the horrible sectarian conflicts going on in several of them, they aren't even very tolerant of their fellow Muslims.
Sheehan went on, "Racism is the classic American way to divide and conquer. It is a linchpin in our society, unfortunately". Generally speaking, I sadly have to agree with him on this, but only in the broader sense of prejudice (not just racism). I see politicians all the time catering to prejudicial views about people of different demographic groups, be it "race", religion, gender, sexual preference, or nationality. Every presidential election sees conservatives place on the ballots in closely contested states referenda that would restrict gay rights, with the aim of motivating "their" voters to rush to the ballots (and vote for their presidential candidate as well). There is, I believe, some pandering to bigotry concerning undocumented Mexican immigrants, although the issue is much more complex. And look at the fuss some are making at GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon faith! But perhaps the most glaring example of what I see as prejudicial anti-Islamic sentiment is last year's widespread public objection to the so-called "ground zero" Muslim center to be built in Lower Manhattan, with some politicians jumping in to fan the flames of anger.
So yes, there is prejudice in America. But Sheehi is full of it if he thinks that prejudice is just an American fault: it permeates all of humanity. I would respect this man more were he to balance out his criticisms of our society with criticisms of the bigotry and intolerance festering within Islamic nations. For it is from that pool of bigotry that the terrorists have emerged who are responsible in large part for generating Islamophobia in America, Sheehi's high, holy, and smug opinions notwithstanding.
Another objection I had to Sheehi's argument was his categorizing prejudice against Islam in America as being racial in nature. Oh, I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as a Muslim race. Chinese Muslims are Chinese, Russian Muslims are Russian, Bosnian Muslims are Bosnian, Indonesian Muslims are Indonesian, Arab Muslims are Arab, and so on. Where is the race in that? No, I'll tell Professor Smug what I think the three main causes of anti-Islamic sentiment in this country are:
1) Terrorism. People don't want to die and they are afraid of other people committing violent acts in the name of Islam, duh. Acts like, for example, hijacking jets and flying them into buildings! No, terrorists may commit atrocities in the name of a faith but that doesn't make the faith itself culpable, so the negative reaction, while understandable, is still irrational and needs to be resisted. But this fear isn't racial in nature.
2) The predominant religion here is Christianity, a faith that largely sees itself as exclusive and in competition with Islam for adherents. Christians and Muslims typically see each other as being in error and on the wrong side of God with their beliefs. Like it or not, this creates the phenomenon in a country, where Christianity is the prevailing religion, of widespread disapproval of a competing, aggressively-spreading faith like Islam which, like Christianity, puts a lot of stock in increasing its number. So the "phobia" here isn't racist, but religious in nature. And Muslims who object need to take an honest look at countries where Islam is the established faith and see just how tolerant these places are to competing faiths.
3) Finally, there is a basic trait of being human that tends to insulate a group/tribe/clan/society against others who would change (or appear to change) that group's ideology and traditions, or establish a sense of authority from the outside. Call it the "invading horde syndrome" if you will and maybe there is a dose of racism involved. But it isn't all race and it isn't all American, either. All of humanity displays this behavior.
So sure, people need to be more accepting of practicing Muslims in this country. And by the same token, Muslims need to be more accepting of practicing non-Muslims in other lands. Anti-Islamic sentiment is NOT primarily racial in nature and America is NOT a singularly racist nation as opposed to all of the others. Racism exists, to be sure, but those from other lands need to also display some honesty in examining how this problem festers in their original homelands as well and not go around acting as if they are "above it all". They're not.
Stephen Sheehi is the University of South Carolina professor of Arabic and Arab culture who paid a visit to Gainesville's politically far-left Civic Media Center to speak and discuss this issue. So what is Islamophobia, anyway?
According to Sheehi, it is "an irrational fear or hatred of Islam and Muslims, one of the inherent racist tropes in America."
So with this one statement I could see the speaker's own inherent bias: when speaking about America per se (as opposed to other places), racism is inherent. But how about all of those wonderful Muslim countries out there? How tolerant are they of other religions? Not very. As a matter of fact, going by the horrible sectarian conflicts going on in several of them, they aren't even very tolerant of their fellow Muslims.
Sheehan went on, "Racism is the classic American way to divide and conquer. It is a linchpin in our society, unfortunately". Generally speaking, I sadly have to agree with him on this, but only in the broader sense of prejudice (not just racism). I see politicians all the time catering to prejudicial views about people of different demographic groups, be it "race", religion, gender, sexual preference, or nationality. Every presidential election sees conservatives place on the ballots in closely contested states referenda that would restrict gay rights, with the aim of motivating "their" voters to rush to the ballots (and vote for their presidential candidate as well). There is, I believe, some pandering to bigotry concerning undocumented Mexican immigrants, although the issue is much more complex. And look at the fuss some are making at GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon faith! But perhaps the most glaring example of what I see as prejudicial anti-Islamic sentiment is last year's widespread public objection to the so-called "ground zero" Muslim center to be built in Lower Manhattan, with some politicians jumping in to fan the flames of anger.
So yes, there is prejudice in America. But Sheehi is full of it if he thinks that prejudice is just an American fault: it permeates all of humanity. I would respect this man more were he to balance out his criticisms of our society with criticisms of the bigotry and intolerance festering within Islamic nations. For it is from that pool of bigotry that the terrorists have emerged who are responsible in large part for generating Islamophobia in America, Sheehi's high, holy, and smug opinions notwithstanding.
Another objection I had to Sheehi's argument was his categorizing prejudice against Islam in America as being racial in nature. Oh, I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as a Muslim race. Chinese Muslims are Chinese, Russian Muslims are Russian, Bosnian Muslims are Bosnian, Indonesian Muslims are Indonesian, Arab Muslims are Arab, and so on. Where is the race in that? No, I'll tell Professor Smug what I think the three main causes of anti-Islamic sentiment in this country are:
1) Terrorism. People don't want to die and they are afraid of other people committing violent acts in the name of Islam, duh. Acts like, for example, hijacking jets and flying them into buildings! No, terrorists may commit atrocities in the name of a faith but that doesn't make the faith itself culpable, so the negative reaction, while understandable, is still irrational and needs to be resisted. But this fear isn't racial in nature.
2) The predominant religion here is Christianity, a faith that largely sees itself as exclusive and in competition with Islam for adherents. Christians and Muslims typically see each other as being in error and on the wrong side of God with their beliefs. Like it or not, this creates the phenomenon in a country, where Christianity is the prevailing religion, of widespread disapproval of a competing, aggressively-spreading faith like Islam which, like Christianity, puts a lot of stock in increasing its number. So the "phobia" here isn't racist, but religious in nature. And Muslims who object need to take an honest look at countries where Islam is the established faith and see just how tolerant these places are to competing faiths.
3) Finally, there is a basic trait of being human that tends to insulate a group/tribe/clan/society against others who would change (or appear to change) that group's ideology and traditions, or establish a sense of authority from the outside. Call it the "invading horde syndrome" if you will and maybe there is a dose of racism involved. But it isn't all race and it isn't all American, either. All of humanity displays this behavior.
So sure, people need to be more accepting of practicing Muslims in this country. And by the same token, Muslims need to be more accepting of practicing non-Muslims in other lands. Anti-Islamic sentiment is NOT primarily racial in nature and America is NOT a singularly racist nation as opposed to all of the others. Racism exists, to be sure, but those from other lands need to also display some honesty in examining how this problem festers in their original homelands as well and not go around acting as if they are "above it all". They're not.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Coffee Drinker "Outed"
I suppose it eventually had to happen: after the recent strange closing of the very popular and crowded Starbucks down the road, many of their former customers have flocked to my own favorite Starbucks at Magnolia Parke in NW Gainesville. A number of times since then, I have experienced no available indoor seating. I would walk inside, examine the situation, and then walk right back out. Today, though, I decided to go back to my old custom of sitting outside.
This is interesting today in that, earlier on, there was that obnoxious, smelly smoky haze everywhere. But now it's gone and only typical summer heat rules. That's O.K.: I'm a Floridian, no point in whining about the heat, right?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
My Run Against Adversity
Today I had a choice: play it wise and cautious with my running, or gut it out Karno-style. I chose the latter.
In case you're wondering, "Karno" is Dean Karnazes, an ultra-distance runner who has written some inspiring books on his interest and about whom I have written on this blog. His message is to run through the pain and adversity in order to achieve progress. Well, today I had some pain and adversity.
For one, the top of my left foot ached because of painful swelling caused by a shoe I had been wearing that didn't fit right. I wondered whether I should just wait a few days before running again (in different shoes, of course). For another, after I had made my decision to go ahead and run anyway, I stepped out of my front door and got a whiff of that horrid smoky haze that comes and goes due to local forest fires. It didn't seem overwhelming, so in spite of my reservations I set out on my run.
During the run, the aching never got worse, and afterwards the foot seems no worse for wear. And I think my lungs were able to hold up as well. I ran my usual distance of 7.18 miles in my usual range of time (1:06:44).
The past few runs of mine have not been pleasant ones, and I can chiefly blame the weather: hot, humid, smoky. Did you know that yesterday's official high in Gainesville was 102?! This was easily a new record, and scorching days are forecast in the near future. And the fires continue to burn...
In case you're wondering, "Karno" is Dean Karnazes, an ultra-distance runner who has written some inspiring books on his interest and about whom I have written on this blog. His message is to run through the pain and adversity in order to achieve progress. Well, today I had some pain and adversity.
For one, the top of my left foot ached because of painful swelling caused by a shoe I had been wearing that didn't fit right. I wondered whether I should just wait a few days before running again (in different shoes, of course). For another, after I had made my decision to go ahead and run anyway, I stepped out of my front door and got a whiff of that horrid smoky haze that comes and goes due to local forest fires. It didn't seem overwhelming, so in spite of my reservations I set out on my run.
During the run, the aching never got worse, and afterwards the foot seems no worse for wear. And I think my lungs were able to hold up as well. I ran my usual distance of 7.18 miles in my usual range of time (1:06:44).
The past few runs of mine have not been pleasant ones, and I can chiefly blame the weather: hot, humid, smoky. Did you know that yesterday's official high in Gainesville was 102?! This was easily a new record, and scorching days are forecast in the near future. And the fires continue to burn...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
A Beef About Business Today
I would like to register a complaint.
When I walk into a restaurant, store, coffee shop, or any other business establishment, I have certain standards as to how I want to be treated by the staff there. As part of the unspoken contract that I want honored, I expect the employees to focus their attention and behavior on treating me with respect, showing a friendly attitude attuned to my interests regarding their business. I don't want to have to deal with an individual who wears their personal narrative and feelings out on their sleeve. It is not my "job" to sympathize with how bad a day an employee is having, nor to I have a responsibility to make an employee personally approve of me in order to be treated with dignity as a paying customer. I enter a business establishment with a friendly, respectful attitude toward those working there and with the intention of spending my money on goods, and expect reciprocal treatment. It is not my job to enhance the personal lives of employees there by making myself interesting to them or providing them a source of entertainment.
There is a basic standard of public behavior in businesses nowadays that I very rarely see practiced anymore. Sure, I get a lot of perfunctory "politeness", but it is often quashed by facial and body language that says "I don't want to be here and your presence annoys me". Also, I am sick to death of sitting in a restaurant or coffee shop and hearing the employees there loudly talk about their personal lives, or even worse, customers that they like or dislike.
I understand that good help is sometimes hard to come by these days, but is the state of general social behavior so bad in my country that we are forced with having to put up with disrespectful and unprofessional behavior in the places where we most want to be treated with respect? That's poor business!
When I walk into a restaurant, store, coffee shop, or any other business establishment, I have certain standards as to how I want to be treated by the staff there. As part of the unspoken contract that I want honored, I expect the employees to focus their attention and behavior on treating me with respect, showing a friendly attitude attuned to my interests regarding their business. I don't want to have to deal with an individual who wears their personal narrative and feelings out on their sleeve. It is not my "job" to sympathize with how bad a day an employee is having, nor to I have a responsibility to make an employee personally approve of me in order to be treated with dignity as a paying customer. I enter a business establishment with a friendly, respectful attitude toward those working there and with the intention of spending my money on goods, and expect reciprocal treatment. It is not my job to enhance the personal lives of employees there by making myself interesting to them or providing them a source of entertainment.
There is a basic standard of public behavior in businesses nowadays that I very rarely see practiced anymore. Sure, I get a lot of perfunctory "politeness", but it is often quashed by facial and body language that says "I don't want to be here and your presence annoys me". Also, I am sick to death of sitting in a restaurant or coffee shop and hearing the employees there loudly talk about their personal lives, or even worse, customers that they like or dislike.
I understand that good help is sometimes hard to come by these days, but is the state of general social behavior so bad in my country that we are forced with having to put up with disrespectful and unprofessional behavior in the places where we most want to be treated with respect? That's poor business!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Science Channel Show About Reality
I am not a scientist by training, not even an engineer or technician. I have taken science courses in college, though, and continue to maintain a healthy interest in it. But I don't have the specialized training needed to fully understand the cutting edge of new research, nor do I possess the extensive mathematical prowess needed to make my way through some of the branches, most notably physics. But that shouldn't keep me from writing about it, though. After all, I am affected by scientific research, for better or for worse, and also tend to share in its subsidy either directly through my taxes or indirectly through private companies (which pass on the cost of research to the customer in their goods and services).
The Science Channel is one of my favorite channels to watch. Not that I like everything on it: they seem recently to be ominously turning down the road of fiction programming, something more appropriate to the Sci-Fi Channel. But there are some really good shows on it nonetheless. The other night I saw one of these, which dealt with how today's physicists are coming up with theories and ideas concerning the basic nature of reality.
I probably am off a little with my accuracy in describing the different viewpoints I heard. But still, I was amazed at how divergent many of the top physicists were in their take on the basic nature of the universe and reality. One conjectured that, since time depends on mass to have any meaning, and that at the origin of the big bang there was a singularity which made time irrelevant, then our own universe eventually will expand and cool to the point where only massless photons are left. And thus no time, fulfilling (at least in the mind of this particular physicist) the prerequisite for another big bang to a new universe. Another physicist had a similar idea, only that it was black holes that were the spawning grounds for new universes. Renown Stanford physicist Leonard Susskind, largely known for his holographic theory that supposedly allows for information to be preserved in the event horizons surrounding black holes, postulated that there may be a holographic projection of all of our three-dimensional reality elsewhere in the universe. And then he pulled a mind-job on everyone by suggesting that perhaps what we perceive as reality around us is nothing more than a hologram.
Susskind, with his ideas, still stressed the point that it was through mathematics that he developed his theories. In fact, without this tool, scientific advancement would be very, very limited. And then another physicist came on the show to deliver the coup de grace: maybe mathematics isn't a tool that humankind has invented and developed over the centuries. Maybe instead mathematics IS the underlying structure of reality and we are gradually becoming more aware of it. Upon hearing this I felt like screaming in frustration...
The Science Channel is one of my favorite channels to watch. Not that I like everything on it: they seem recently to be ominously turning down the road of fiction programming, something more appropriate to the Sci-Fi Channel. But there are some really good shows on it nonetheless. The other night I saw one of these, which dealt with how today's physicists are coming up with theories and ideas concerning the basic nature of reality.
I probably am off a little with my accuracy in describing the different viewpoints I heard. But still, I was amazed at how divergent many of the top physicists were in their take on the basic nature of the universe and reality. One conjectured that, since time depends on mass to have any meaning, and that at the origin of the big bang there was a singularity which made time irrelevant, then our own universe eventually will expand and cool to the point where only massless photons are left. And thus no time, fulfilling (at least in the mind of this particular physicist) the prerequisite for another big bang to a new universe. Another physicist had a similar idea, only that it was black holes that were the spawning grounds for new universes. Renown Stanford physicist Leonard Susskind, largely known for his holographic theory that supposedly allows for information to be preserved in the event horizons surrounding black holes, postulated that there may be a holographic projection of all of our three-dimensional reality elsewhere in the universe. And then he pulled a mind-job on everyone by suggesting that perhaps what we perceive as reality around us is nothing more than a hologram.
Susskind, with his ideas, still stressed the point that it was through mathematics that he developed his theories. In fact, without this tool, scientific advancement would be very, very limited. And then another physicist came on the show to deliver the coup de grace: maybe mathematics isn't a tool that humankind has invented and developed over the centuries. Maybe instead mathematics IS the underlying structure of reality and we are gradually becoming more aware of it. Upon hearing this I felt like screaming in frustration...
Monday, June 13, 2011
Congrats to the Mavs
So the Dallas Mavericks were able to put away the supposedly-invincible Miami Heat four games to two in the National Basketball Association final series to claim their first championship ever. Good for them! I liked the way they worked as a team, and it reminded me of the way that the Boston Celtics played. As for the Miami Heat, they can have their superstars, for all I care. I am sick of this ongoing melodrama about the hurt feelings of their moody forward Lebron James, who apparently is of the attitude that he can just "turn it on" in a game whenever he happens to be in the mood...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Lord of the Rings: I Have Issues
I loved reading J.R.R. Tolkien's classic three volume fantasy series Lord of the Rings, and I also love watching the three-movie film adaptation thereof. There are however some problems I have with Lord of the Rings, mainly concerning the movies.
When I sat down to watch the first movie The Fellowship of the Ring, I was very eager to see how the movie would portray my favorite character Tom Bombadil. Who, you might say, is that? Well, if you didn't read the book you wouldn't know: director Peter Jackson and his cohorts apparently thought that THREE WHOLE CONSECUTIVE CHAPTERS of the book could be dispensed with, completely omitting any reference to this puzzling character and his interesting domain, which was located between the Shire and the town of Bree. Go figure...
Then there is the matter of the great ring itself. Whoever possessed it and kept it on their person never physically aged, as neither Gollum nor Bilbo Baggins did. Once Bilbo relinquished it to Frodo, though, he quickly aged, and by decades. But with Gollum, he was deprived of it for many years but DIDN'T AGE! H-m-m...
And what about the way the movie series treated the treacherous wizard Saruman? In the first movie, he was so powerful that he could control the weather from many miles away. But once the Ents flooded out Isengard in the second movie The Two Towers, he was just left alone in his tower without any power. In the book, he escapes with Wormtongue to stir up trouble later in the Shire, something also completely ignored in the films.
The Nazgul, or "Riders in Black", never made much sense either. In The Fellowship of the Ring, they were confined by land on horseback and allowed themselves to be swept away by an enchanted elvish river. And one man, Aragorn, was able to fight off the entire lot of them with an also-unexplained short respite of time following this feat. Later, in The Two Towers and the final book/film The Return of the King, the Nazgul return but are much more powerful and imposing, flying around on their powerful demonic dragons. Yet, in a scene at the end of the movie (but not in the book), they discover the whereabouts of the ring but retreat too easily.
There is something in the films that was a bit unsettling to me, something that I had alluded to in a much earlier blog article. Did you notice that the elves, Gandalf, and Aragorn all spoke the King's English? Other "good guys" like common hobbits and dwarfs spoke in in brogues like one would find in Scotland or Ireland. But the bad guys like Sauron or the orcs? They spoke with common Cockney-like accents. This gave an elitist, aristocratic connotation to the conflict between good and evil, and I objected to that.
Finally, I object to the way that Jackson and Co. tried to get around the aforementioned three chapters that they left out of the first movie by finally reintroducing the characters of Merry and Pippin in the most improbable setting of a maze-like cornfield miles away from Frodo and Sam's starting point for their trek. They could have done better, I think.
Still, I love Lord of the Rings and consider the film version as the best thing in cinema to come out this century so far. I wonder, though, how much they are going to alter the wonderful story The Hobbit when that movie is released. I shudder at the thought...
When I sat down to watch the first movie The Fellowship of the Ring, I was very eager to see how the movie would portray my favorite character Tom Bombadil. Who, you might say, is that? Well, if you didn't read the book you wouldn't know: director Peter Jackson and his cohorts apparently thought that THREE WHOLE CONSECUTIVE CHAPTERS of the book could be dispensed with, completely omitting any reference to this puzzling character and his interesting domain, which was located between the Shire and the town of Bree. Go figure...
Then there is the matter of the great ring itself. Whoever possessed it and kept it on their person never physically aged, as neither Gollum nor Bilbo Baggins did. Once Bilbo relinquished it to Frodo, though, he quickly aged, and by decades. But with Gollum, he was deprived of it for many years but DIDN'T AGE! H-m-m...
And what about the way the movie series treated the treacherous wizard Saruman? In the first movie, he was so powerful that he could control the weather from many miles away. But once the Ents flooded out Isengard in the second movie The Two Towers, he was just left alone in his tower without any power. In the book, he escapes with Wormtongue to stir up trouble later in the Shire, something also completely ignored in the films.
The Nazgul, or "Riders in Black", never made much sense either. In The Fellowship of the Ring, they were confined by land on horseback and allowed themselves to be swept away by an enchanted elvish river. And one man, Aragorn, was able to fight off the entire lot of them with an also-unexplained short respite of time following this feat. Later, in The Two Towers and the final book/film The Return of the King, the Nazgul return but are much more powerful and imposing, flying around on their powerful demonic dragons. Yet, in a scene at the end of the movie (but not in the book), they discover the whereabouts of the ring but retreat too easily.
There is something in the films that was a bit unsettling to me, something that I had alluded to in a much earlier blog article. Did you notice that the elves, Gandalf, and Aragorn all spoke the King's English? Other "good guys" like common hobbits and dwarfs spoke in in brogues like one would find in Scotland or Ireland. But the bad guys like Sauron or the orcs? They spoke with common Cockney-like accents. This gave an elitist, aristocratic connotation to the conflict between good and evil, and I objected to that.
Finally, I object to the way that Jackson and Co. tried to get around the aforementioned three chapters that they left out of the first movie by finally reintroducing the characters of Merry and Pippin in the most improbable setting of a maze-like cornfield miles away from Frodo and Sam's starting point for their trek. They could have done better, I think.
Still, I love Lord of the Rings and consider the film version as the best thing in cinema to come out this century so far. I wonder, though, how much they are going to alter the wonderful story The Hobbit when that movie is released. I shudder at the thought...
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Title Series Format Change Suggestion
I have noticed over my lifetime (or at least my sports-following portion thereof) that for most of a sports season, there is relatively little interest among the general population. Even with initial playoffs or crucial regular-season-ending contests, the die-hard fans may get all pumped up with excitement but folks who usually don't follow sports still aren't in on what's going on. But once we get down to the final championship event(s), then suddenly interest explodes among the population. The Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Championship Series stand out in professional sports in this regard. I couldn't get a reasonable discussion going with most people about these sports during the regular season, but come that final time in the season when it's down to two teams fighting it out for the title, then it's quite easy to talk about it with just about anyone.
As for my suggestion, I don't know what more could be done to improve professional football; college football obviously needs a playoff system to give that final game a greater sense of legitimacy. Due to the physically demanding, violent nature of the sport, football titles are decided by single games. In other professional team sports, though, a best-of-seven series is usually played. Currently, the National Basketball Association championship is being played out in a series between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks, with the latter leading three games to two so far. The first to reach four wins the championship. But why not change it so that one team, with a minimum of four series wins, must take a two-game advantage over the other in order to claim the championship? This wouldn't change a lop-sided mismatched series, which for all practical purposes needs to be finished and dispensed with. But what about those nail-biting close series, often ending up tied 3-3 with a climactic final game to decide it all? Oh, that last seventh game is a big attention grabber, to be sure. But then it's over. Imagine instead that the two teams are closely matched (like Miami and Dallas currently are) and neither has enough of an edge over the other to muster up a two-game edge. We could then go on for weeks with a great series, with one team finally winning by, say, something like a 20-18 margin.
They should drag out that final series and squeeze as much interest as possible from it. My proposal would do just that. I wouldn't recommend it for just any playoff series (remember, public interest isn't that great early on). Just for the championship series when everyone is getting in on the excitement.
Just think of all the beer commercials this would generate: we could get our economy "afloat" again...
As for my suggestion, I don't know what more could be done to improve professional football; college football obviously needs a playoff system to give that final game a greater sense of legitimacy. Due to the physically demanding, violent nature of the sport, football titles are decided by single games. In other professional team sports, though, a best-of-seven series is usually played. Currently, the National Basketball Association championship is being played out in a series between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks, with the latter leading three games to two so far. The first to reach four wins the championship. But why not change it so that one team, with a minimum of four series wins, must take a two-game advantage over the other in order to claim the championship? This wouldn't change a lop-sided mismatched series, which for all practical purposes needs to be finished and dispensed with. But what about those nail-biting close series, often ending up tied 3-3 with a climactic final game to decide it all? Oh, that last seventh game is a big attention grabber, to be sure. But then it's over. Imagine instead that the two teams are closely matched (like Miami and Dallas currently are) and neither has enough of an edge over the other to muster up a two-game edge. We could then go on for weeks with a great series, with one team finally winning by, say, something like a 20-18 margin.
They should drag out that final series and squeeze as much interest as possible from it. My proposal would do just that. I wouldn't recommend it for just any playoff series (remember, public interest isn't that great early on). Just for the championship series when everyone is getting in on the excitement.
Just think of all the beer commercials this would generate: we could get our economy "afloat" again...
Friday, June 10, 2011
Haze Reprieve Gives Way to Outdoor Run
This morning I experienced a reprieve from the stinky haze permeating the air over Gainesville when the wind shifted to an easterly direction. This gave me the opportunity to do some road running for a change, instead of the indoor treadmill. It was great to get back outside on my old course, covering 8.15 miles in 1:16:41. Of course, this was at my monotonously regular running pace!
Speaking of the haze, I reported that it is primarily due to a large forest fire (about 5,000 acres) in Levy County, adjacently to mine. But I suppose I should step out a minute from my pity party and count my blessings: Arizona has a monstrous, uncontrollable fire on its hands that is about to enter New Mexico. And there is a fire raging in Miami that is 50,000 acres in size!
But at least for my area, there is rain forecast for the next few days. But whether it will fall on that fire is problematic: don't large brush fires interact with the atmosphere and actually alter the weather, keeping rain away from them? I thought I heard that on TV once, or maybe I just dreamed it...
Speaking of the haze, I reported that it is primarily due to a large forest fire (about 5,000 acres) in Levy County, adjacently to mine. But I suppose I should step out a minute from my pity party and count my blessings: Arizona has a monstrous, uncontrollable fire on its hands that is about to enter New Mexico. And there is a fire raging in Miami that is 50,000 acres in size!
But at least for my area, there is rain forecast for the next few days. But whether it will fall on that fire is problematic: don't large brush fires interact with the atmosphere and actually alter the weather, keeping rain away from them? I thought I heard that on TV once, or maybe I just dreamed it...
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Starbucks Crowds Me Out
The Starbucks store on Newberry Road that closed down recently shouldn't be affecting me, since I had pretty much stopped going there long ago. Unfortunately, though, the customers who used to do business there have gone to other Starbucks. Including my favorite, the Magnolia Parke location. Lately, I have had repeated experiences of walking into this Starbucks with the intent of sitting inside for my coffee and some studying, and then turning about-face and walking right on out when it was apparent that all seats were taken.
That's too bad, because I have begun to frequent some of Starbucks' competitors, places that actually provide seating space for their customers.
That's too bad, because I have begun to frequent some of Starbucks' competitors, places that actually provide seating space for their customers.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Running Away From the Haze
The smoky haze primarily originating from a large forest fire in Levy County SSW of us has made running outdoors not a very advisable option for me. Especially when I have the alternative of running on the treadmill at my local YMCA. Monday, which started out hazy but then turned into a very rainy, stormy day for Gainesville (but unfortunately NOT for fire-ridden Levy County), I ran on the treadmill for 9 miles and felt pretty good afterwards. Today, with no rain in sight, I struggled through the haze to my car, coughed a little on the way and rushed into the YMCA holding my breath. Then I ran another 8 miles on the treadmill.
I could run on the treadmill like this all summer if I had to, but doing so makes the eventual transition to road running more difficult. I just wish that fire was gone.
By the way, I have decided at least for the immediate future to cross-train on non-running days at the YMCA with weight training and their elliptical machine. Tuesday I performed 330 reps on six different weight machines that exercised my upper body and abdomen. I used the elliptical cross-trainer for 40 minutes. Then, at home I did some work on our portable step-exercise machine. What I'd like to do is add some leg-strengthening weight training to this routine. I have heard that such training can be valuable in preventing injuries of the kind I experienced this past January (IT band).
I could run on the treadmill like this all summer if I had to, but doing so makes the eventual transition to road running more difficult. I just wish that fire was gone.
By the way, I have decided at least for the immediate future to cross-train on non-running days at the YMCA with weight training and their elliptical machine. Tuesday I performed 330 reps on six different weight machines that exercised my upper body and abdomen. I used the elliptical cross-trainer for 40 minutes. Then, at home I did some work on our portable step-exercise machine. What I'd like to do is add some leg-strengthening weight training to this routine. I have heard that such training can be valuable in preventing injuries of the kind I experienced this past January (IT band).
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Simple Faith
I tend to look askance at organized religion. Simple religious faith should unite people, not divide them with all kinds of special rules, stipulations, and rituals. Each organized religion says they have the only prescription for spiritual growth and the "good" afterlife based on their own preciously-held rules, names, and catch-phrases. If you talk to any true believer in one, to be sure, they will tell you that behind the utterances and ritual one must "feel it" in the heart as well. Maybe, but a Christian will still insist on the rituals as the required public expression of salvation. And a Muslim will point to the phrase in the Qu'ran that converts to that religion must utter to gain favor with Allah as a true believer.
I tend to have problems with religious people who get completely entangled in their own particular faith's doctrines and subdoctrines, especially elements thereof that assign exclusivity to that religion and consign nonbelievers to suffering after death. Instead, I respect...no, I ESTEEM those who may be members or part of the culture of a particular religion but themselves practice something I call "simple faith".
Underlying simple faith is the idea that life is a mystery, and so is death. What death is like, we don't know. And if there is any special meaning or power behind our lives and our "reality", we don't know either, based on what we can detect with our senses. But if there is, then we can entertain a hope that death is a transition from one type of existence in one reality to another, and that "God", if you will, is a protector and guide to help us on our way, both in this life and thereafter. Having this simple faith can help its possessors to feel empowered to make something of their "earthly" lives with some feeling of confidence that it is meaningful and that all is not lost with death. If you want to call God whatever name your specific religion uses (or forbids), then go ahead. Just don't get hung up on names, unless of course you just have as an agenda the desire to set yourself apart from others with the aim of somehow feeling superior to them.
I tend to have problems with religious people who get completely entangled in their own particular faith's doctrines and subdoctrines, especially elements thereof that assign exclusivity to that religion and consign nonbelievers to suffering after death. Instead, I respect...no, I ESTEEM those who may be members or part of the culture of a particular religion but themselves practice something I call "simple faith".
Underlying simple faith is the idea that life is a mystery, and so is death. What death is like, we don't know. And if there is any special meaning or power behind our lives and our "reality", we don't know either, based on what we can detect with our senses. But if there is, then we can entertain a hope that death is a transition from one type of existence in one reality to another, and that "God", if you will, is a protector and guide to help us on our way, both in this life and thereafter. Having this simple faith can help its possessors to feel empowered to make something of their "earthly" lives with some feeling of confidence that it is meaningful and that all is not lost with death. If you want to call God whatever name your specific religion uses (or forbids), then go ahead. Just don't get hung up on names, unless of course you just have as an agenda the desire to set yourself apart from others with the aim of somehow feeling superior to them.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Illegal Immigration Issue
Concerning the illegal immigration issue...
Proponents of strict enforcement of American immigration laws are often hammered as being "racist" or anti-immigrant. I have read and heard countless exhortations by well-meaning people (including President Obama) who, like me, want reasonable immigration reform that is realistic and compassionate toward those here without documentation. One of the arguments I hear, though, is patently condescending: we are a nation of immigrants, those currently here without documentation are the same as all of the others who passed into this country while following the law, and if you don't like the largely uncontrolled, primarily-Mexican influx then you must be racist or at least xenophobic (and therefore in need of this patronizing rebuke).
I remember in the not-too-distant past how refugees to the U.S. from Indochina often encountered hostility from some of the "natives": they were seen as "outsiders", supposedly taking away people's livelihoods by working cheaply or setting up competing businesses. But these were admitted into the country within the parameters of immigration law, with many more never making it into the United States. To the ones opposing those refugees, a rebuke about us being a nation of immigrants would be right on target and not condescending. After all, they came here within the confines of the law and were a true continuation of our admirable tradition of enhancing our national diversity through immigration.
Now I have no doubt that there are xenophobes among those clamoring for strict immigration enforcement. They are particularly strong among those who want the millions of illegal immigrants rounded up and summarily deported, even those who have been here for many years. But I can see that those arguing for strict enforcement have some good points without automatically attributing their motives to prejudice.
It is important to provide an avenue for legal residence to those currently in this country outside the law for a number of reasons. For one, they need to be able to rely on police protection and feel that they are not under the yoke of those who would exploit their vulnerable undocumented status to their own nefarious ends. For another, this is America, dude! You know, the land of the free! And when I interact with others in this great land, I want to feel that they, like me, are free to exercise all of their constitutional rights and to hold their leaders accountable. Only with the type of reasonable immigration reform proposed by our present and previous presidents, representing both major parties, can this be achieved.
But please, let's can the condescending lectures, O.K.? I also think our national borders need to be made more secure. That doesn't make me a bigot.
Proponents of strict enforcement of American immigration laws are often hammered as being "racist" or anti-immigrant. I have read and heard countless exhortations by well-meaning people (including President Obama) who, like me, want reasonable immigration reform that is realistic and compassionate toward those here without documentation. One of the arguments I hear, though, is patently condescending: we are a nation of immigrants, those currently here without documentation are the same as all of the others who passed into this country while following the law, and if you don't like the largely uncontrolled, primarily-Mexican influx then you must be racist or at least xenophobic (and therefore in need of this patronizing rebuke).
I remember in the not-too-distant past how refugees to the U.S. from Indochina often encountered hostility from some of the "natives": they were seen as "outsiders", supposedly taking away people's livelihoods by working cheaply or setting up competing businesses. But these were admitted into the country within the parameters of immigration law, with many more never making it into the United States. To the ones opposing those refugees, a rebuke about us being a nation of immigrants would be right on target and not condescending. After all, they came here within the confines of the law and were a true continuation of our admirable tradition of enhancing our national diversity through immigration.
Now I have no doubt that there are xenophobes among those clamoring for strict immigration enforcement. They are particularly strong among those who want the millions of illegal immigrants rounded up and summarily deported, even those who have been here for many years. But I can see that those arguing for strict enforcement have some good points without automatically attributing their motives to prejudice.
It is important to provide an avenue for legal residence to those currently in this country outside the law for a number of reasons. For one, they need to be able to rely on police protection and feel that they are not under the yoke of those who would exploit their vulnerable undocumented status to their own nefarious ends. For another, this is America, dude! You know, the land of the free! And when I interact with others in this great land, I want to feel that they, like me, are free to exercise all of their constitutional rights and to hold their leaders accountable. Only with the type of reasonable immigration reform proposed by our present and previous presidents, representing both major parties, can this be achieved.
But please, let's can the condescending lectures, O.K.? I also think our national borders need to be made more secure. That doesn't make me a bigot.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Hot Weather and Smoky Haze
The last couple of days have been stifling-hot, with temperatures climbing in the afternoon to the upper nineties. To compound the effect, a thick smoky haze from many area fires has descended upon the Gainesville area, making issues of breathing second-hand smoke from cigarettes a moot point. There is no way I am going out in this horrible weather to run, so for a while at least I am hitting the indoor treadmill at my local YMCA. Hopefully, some rain is forthcoming and we'll eventually begin to see the typical summer afternoon showers that make living here enjoyable, or at least bearable. But for now it's almost uninhabitable!
I have noticed that the haze is much worse during the evening hours, but I can now detect it throughout the day...
I have noticed that the haze is much worse during the evening hours, but I can now detect it throughout the day...
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Orlando Visit
I went with my wife today to Orlando, where she had to go to do a mandatory part of the Masters-level class she is currently enrolled in online. Melissa attends the University of Central Florida, but does the bulk of her academic work online from home. Today, though, we were in eastern Orlando at UCF. What is it about this very crowded, noisy city that makes me want to quickly return to Gainesville in a way that ultracrowded Manhattan didn't on my visit there?
I believe that my problem with Orlando is its vast, sprawling nature wholly dependent on street traffic, in combination with lots and lots and lots of people. When I let Melissa off for her class, I drove around trying to find a place to get a good cup of coffee and study. I drove through the UCF campus, where no-parking signs were everywhere (unless you had bought a permit) and some for-pay parking garages, of which I felt no desire to avail myself. So although there were some places I could have gone at UCF, I ended up passing through the campus and back out on the main highway. I found a nearby Starbucks, but every table was taken. I skipped the local fast food places like Burger King and McDonald's, which was probably a mistake. Finally after driving around for several miles, I came across a Dunkin' Donuts that was right off of Colonial Drive. It was a big place, with an even bigger crowd of customers. But I did manage to get a seat and studied some amid the enormous din there. It was awfully unpleasant, though.
If you exclude my theme park experiences there, I don't like to visit Orlando. And I don't like anything to do with driving down its congested streets, full it seems of crazy drivers. Nothing personal, but to me it is an ugly, noisy, overcrowded sprawl. Probably like Los Angeles in miniature! If you like that kind of environment, then go for it! I won't be hanging around, though...
On the other hand, to be fair about it, if I actually lived in Orlando and had roots in the area, I might have a different take on it. But just passing through as a visitor is no fun!
I believe that my problem with Orlando is its vast, sprawling nature wholly dependent on street traffic, in combination with lots and lots and lots of people. When I let Melissa off for her class, I drove around trying to find a place to get a good cup of coffee and study. I drove through the UCF campus, where no-parking signs were everywhere (unless you had bought a permit) and some for-pay parking garages, of which I felt no desire to avail myself. So although there were some places I could have gone at UCF, I ended up passing through the campus and back out on the main highway. I found a nearby Starbucks, but every table was taken. I skipped the local fast food places like Burger King and McDonald's, which was probably a mistake. Finally after driving around for several miles, I came across a Dunkin' Donuts that was right off of Colonial Drive. It was a big place, with an even bigger crowd of customers. But I did manage to get a seat and studied some amid the enormous din there. It was awfully unpleasant, though.
If you exclude my theme park experiences there, I don't like to visit Orlando. And I don't like anything to do with driving down its congested streets, full it seems of crazy drivers. Nothing personal, but to me it is an ugly, noisy, overcrowded sprawl. Probably like Los Angeles in miniature! If you like that kind of environment, then go for it! I won't be hanging around, though...
On the other hand, to be fair about it, if I actually lived in Orlando and had roots in the area, I might have a different take on it. But just passing through as a visitor is no fun!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Dallas Does It Again
A few days ago I wrote how the National Basketball Association Dallas Mavericks made an incredible late-game comeback against their playoff opponent Oklahoma City, after I had given up on the game to watch another TV show. Last night they did it again, although I was at work during the game and unable to watch. Their victims this time were the Miami Heat, their opponent for the NBA Championship series. After Miami had easily handled the Mavericks in game one, the buzz around the sports media was that the Heat were too hot for anyone to handle. And it looked like that last night, too. Midway through the fourth quarter they were easily handling Dallas, 78-63. Then the Mavs stormed back, with their stars Nowitzki, Kidd, and Terry leading the way. They pulled out their comeback with a 95-93 improbable victory, and on the road. The next three games will be home games for Dallas, so they now have a real opportunity to do damage to Miami's presumed cakewalk to the championship.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Bummed Out on Negative Personal Narratives
I am really tired of being expected to sympathetically listen to other people as they emotionally spew out their very personal hyperjudgemental rancor about others. I don't know how to change this: these people seem totally focused on the negative aspects of certain relationships they have and tenaciously refuse to consider the bigger, more complete picture that includes the positive. I have come to the conclusion that this negativity is at best a form of manipulation of me as a hostage listener and is at worst a psychological disorder, with negative feelings and their open expression feeding on themselves and demanding more and more.
This isn't just one person, either. I see it all around me in various settings. It tends to make me more susceptible to spiritual feelings only in the sense that it appears that demons have a hold on these very negative people. All I want to do when around them is escape.
I am 54. That isn't young. I would like to look forward to my remaining future years as a time of happiness, health and positive relationships. But not around these people, the way they currently are! It matters not what shortcomings they see in others: I have only one option, which is to tune them out...
This isn't just one person, either. I see it all around me in various settings. It tends to make me more susceptible to spiritual feelings only in the sense that it appears that demons have a hold on these very negative people. All I want to do when around them is escape.
I am 54. That isn't young. I would like to look forward to my remaining future years as a time of happiness, health and positive relationships. But not around these people, the way they currently are! It matters not what shortcomings they see in others: I have only one option, which is to tune them out...
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Spoon June
Spoon is a Texas-based multihyphenated modern-indie-alternative-rock band that has been around since the nineties. Unfortunately, I only have their music that has been released since 2002. They are very good, with strong perscussion/guitar/keyboard interaction in their songs, along with group cofounder, singer/songwriter Britt Daniels' idiosynchratic raspy voice as lead vocal. Even if you don't normally listen to this genre of music, you may have heard their 2006 hit I Turn My Camera On on a TV commerical a few years back.
I Turn My Camera On was the song that made me notice this talented and creative band. Their material, like that of Regina Spektor and Radiohead, is all eminently listenable and there are several tracks on their albums that I have come to like a lot. In fact, I have recently begun to solely listen to my collection of Spoon's music (in shuffle mode) on my MP3 player while running (succeeding Regina and Radiohead for this honor). June looks to be a month full of Spoon listening...
The following is my personal "Top 25" list of Spoon songs. Please keep in mind that I don't yet have their early albums, though. I do have Kill the Moonlight [KM], Gimme Fiction [GF], Get Nice! [GN], Ga Ga Ga Ga [GGGG], and Transference [T]. I have put the above-indicated abbreviated forms for the corresponding albums next to each song.
Here's my list:
1 My Mathematical Mind [GF]
2 The Ghost of You Lingers [GGGG]
3 Don't Let It Get You Down [KM]
4 Goodnight Laura [T]
5 Merchants of Soul [GF]
6 Someone Something [KM]
7 Don't You Evah [GGGG]
8 The Mystery Zone [T]
9 My Little Japanese Cigarette Case [GGGG]
10 I Turn My Camera On [GF]
11 Stay Don't Go [KM]
12 The Way We Get By [KM]
13 You Got Your Cherry Bomb [GGGG]
14 I Summon You [GF]
15 Small Stakes [KM]
16 Paper Tiger [KM]
17 Is Love Forever? [T]
18 The Underdog [GGGG]
19 Jonathon Fisk [KM]
20 Sister Jack [GF]
21 Well-Alright [Dark Was the Night compilation]
22 Who Makes Your Money [T]
23 The Delicate Place [GF]
24 Dracula's Cigarette [GN]
25 Tasty Fish [GN]
I Turn My Camera On was the song that made me notice this talented and creative band. Their material, like that of Regina Spektor and Radiohead, is all eminently listenable and there are several tracks on their albums that I have come to like a lot. In fact, I have recently begun to solely listen to my collection of Spoon's music (in shuffle mode) on my MP3 player while running (succeeding Regina and Radiohead for this honor). June looks to be a month full of Spoon listening...
The following is my personal "Top 25" list of Spoon songs. Please keep in mind that I don't yet have their early albums, though. I do have Kill the Moonlight [KM], Gimme Fiction [GF], Get Nice! [GN], Ga Ga Ga Ga [GGGG], and Transference [T]. I have put the above-indicated abbreviated forms for the corresponding albums next to each song.
Here's my list:
1 My Mathematical Mind [GF]
2 The Ghost of You Lingers [GGGG]
3 Don't Let It Get You Down [KM]
4 Goodnight Laura [T]
5 Merchants of Soul [GF]
6 Someone Something [KM]
7 Don't You Evah [GGGG]
8 The Mystery Zone [T]
9 My Little Japanese Cigarette Case [GGGG]
10 I Turn My Camera On [GF]
11 Stay Don't Go [KM]
12 The Way We Get By [KM]
13 You Got Your Cherry Bomb [GGGG]
14 I Summon You [GF]
15 Small Stakes [KM]
16 Paper Tiger [KM]
17 Is Love Forever? [T]
18 The Underdog [GGGG]
19 Jonathon Fisk [KM]
20 Sister Jack [GF]
21 Well-Alright [Dark Was the Night compilation]
22 Who Makes Your Money [T]
23 The Delicate Place [GF]
24 Dracula's Cigarette [GN]
25 Tasty Fish [GN]
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