In July 2013 I continued to recover from my right foot injury as I ran a total of 90.06 miles, considerably higher than in the previous two months. My longest run was for 7 miles. I ran on 25 out of the month's 31 days. So on all fronts my running output has increased, although I don't plan to return to the 160-200 miles/month standard I set in the first three months of this year. I have noticed my endurance gradually increasing each week as I cover more distance. And the foot seems none the worse through it all after I incorporated certain daily stretches and began wearing snug-fitting shoes with arch support.
I expect August to be much like July was, with an gradual increase in my mileage as I aim for a local half-marathon race that will take place the last Saturday in September.
In July I also did some non-running exercise, amassing 23.4 miles of "miles-equivalent" cross-training. So in all, my physical activity appreciably increased for the month...
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Ping Pong Fun
I always thought I was a good ping pong player, although I never practiced at it. Not owning a ping pong table had a lot to do with this. But I have been pretty good at just walking up to a table and hitting the ball well, with good placement and some "zing" on the ball. However, in serious competition I know I wouldn't stand a chance. But when I play ping pong, I am not shooting for the world or Olympic championship. I just want to have some fun!
Recently, I did just that, enjoying the game with my family. Sometimes we would play a real game and keep score, but mostly we enjoyed volleying the ball back and forth. The best moments were when we would keep up an especially long rally. But the room we played in (see picture) didn't really accommodate us playing the game the way you might see it in official competitions on television: there simply wasn't enough room to stand far back from the table to be able to return strong shots.
I'd like to invest a little money and pick up a cheap ping pong table, one that folds up on one end and gives me the opportunity to practice by myself. The game is really a good form of exercise, although it doesn't feel like I am "working out" but rather just having a good time...
Recently, I did just that, enjoying the game with my family. Sometimes we would play a real game and keep score, but mostly we enjoyed volleying the ball back and forth. The best moments were when we would keep up an especially long rally. But the room we played in (see picture) didn't really accommodate us playing the game the way you might see it in official competitions on television: there simply wasn't enough room to stand far back from the table to be able to return strong shots.
I'd like to invest a little money and pick up a cheap ping pong table, one that folds up on one end and gives me the opportunity to practice by myself. The game is really a good form of exercise, although it doesn't feel like I am "working out" but rather just having a good time...
Monday, July 29, 2013
Still Slogging Through Graveyard Shift
I am still slogging through my graveyard shift work schedule, with little chance of being able to change my working hours anytime soon. So I'm left coping with staying awake and trying to fully function in the wee hours of the morning. I'm usually all right until around 4 AM and then things quickly begin to go downhill. By 5-5:30, it becomes a real struggle until I leave the place at 7:30. In the morning. This is an awful time to be driving home through the city as the work rush hour has commenced and, when classes are in session, the streets are clogged with buses and school traffic. But the main problem with this schedule is the lack of deep nighttime sleep...
For fifteen of the first sixteen years I worked at this organization, I worked the graveyard shift. Back then, once off from work, I generally slept whenever I could find the time. This lack of a regular sleep time hurt me, and this time around I decided to change. Now, once I get home from work, I go to bed about an hour later and sleep until mid-afternoon. Then I am fully awake and functioning. If later I fill like I need a nap, then I'll rest about an hour before I go to work. It's worked for me, making my trials with this new schedule more or less confined to the early morning hours with me trying to get to the end of my shift.
Oh, and as for my days off, I quickly revert back to the time when I could sleep all night...by sleeping all night!
For fifteen of the first sixteen years I worked at this organization, I worked the graveyard shift. Back then, once off from work, I generally slept whenever I could find the time. This lack of a regular sleep time hurt me, and this time around I decided to change. Now, once I get home from work, I go to bed about an hour later and sleep until mid-afternoon. Then I am fully awake and functioning. If later I fill like I need a nap, then I'll rest about an hour before I go to work. It's worked for me, making my trials with this new schedule more or less confined to the early morning hours with me trying to get to the end of my shift.
Oh, and as for my days off, I quickly revert back to the time when I could sleep all night...by sleeping all night!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Local Gym Not to Provide Indoor Track Against Sweltering Heat
Today I ran one of my "standard" courses around my neighborhood, comprising 3.24 miles. It was a pretty average run with me going the distance with my regular pace. But although the humidity had dropped to about 60%, the temperature had risen to 87 and it was a very unpleasant run. When, oh when will this sweltering summer heat end?
I've noticed recently an increased sensitivity to heat with myself when I am out running. In times gone by it didn't seem to matter that much, but now it's getting pretty intolerable. I don't always like the idea of resorting to the air-conditioned indoor treadmill to get in my running miles...and if it's not excessively hot outside, then it's excessively humid...if not raining. Running in place in my house is an option, but I'd rather be covering some distance in the process.
At the University of Florida, they have a student recreation center that has a cool indoor track that would solve my running location dilemma, if only I were a member. I AM a member of a local fitness company, called the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center. They have plenty of treadmills but no indoor track. But wait...they have been expanding their operation and the new, larger facility will open tomorrow with great fanfare...but alas WITHOUT an indoor track! How regrettable, for them to ignore something that basic...
I've noticed recently an increased sensitivity to heat with myself when I am out running. In times gone by it didn't seem to matter that much, but now it's getting pretty intolerable. I don't always like the idea of resorting to the air-conditioned indoor treadmill to get in my running miles...and if it's not excessively hot outside, then it's excessively humid...if not raining. Running in place in my house is an option, but I'd rather be covering some distance in the process.
At the University of Florida, they have a student recreation center that has a cool indoor track that would solve my running location dilemma, if only I were a member. I AM a member of a local fitness company, called the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center. They have plenty of treadmills but no indoor track. But wait...they have been expanding their operation and the new, larger facility will open tomorrow with great fanfare...but alas WITHOUT an indoor track! How regrettable, for them to ignore something that basic...
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Finished A Game of Thrones, Starting Next in Series
I recently posted about how I was suffering from "fantasy fatigue" in reference to the increasing number of fantasy genre novels I had begun to read, only to put them down in frustration. The same was happening again with my reading of George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, the first volume in his ongoing series A Song of Ice and Fire. But this time I was determined to finish this book to its end, and yesterday I accomplished that. Today I started out on the second volume, titled A Clash of Kings. There's still a problem here, though...if you want to consider it as a problem: I'm still rooting for the "bad" guys! As a matter of fact, a new "bad" character was introduced at the start of this new book...and I found myself on her side....
I do have one correction to the previous article I had written about fantasy fatigue: the "bad" Lannister family is actually represented in how Martin presents the book's chapters, each one depicting the course of events from a different character's viewpoint. With the Lannisters, it is the "imp" Tyrion Lannister with whom we can share his experiences and viewpoints. However, at least at this junction, he is an essentially compassionate character, quite unlike the rest of his family. Still, he is just as shrewd as any of them, easily the most interesting character I've come across so far in this series...
I do have one correction to the previous article I had written about fantasy fatigue: the "bad" Lannister family is actually represented in how Martin presents the book's chapters, each one depicting the course of events from a different character's viewpoint. With the Lannisters, it is the "imp" Tyrion Lannister with whom we can share his experiences and viewpoints. However, at least at this junction, he is an essentially compassionate character, quite unlike the rest of his family. Still, he is just as shrewd as any of them, easily the most interesting character I've come across so far in this series...
Friday, July 26, 2013
Vettel Right About College Athlete Pay
Yesterday afternoon I was listening to my radio, tuned in to sports talk radio station 850/WRUF-AM. The local host, Larry Vettel, was discussing the push by some in college sports to pay athletes for their work. His position was that it would be a mistake to pay all collegiate athletes in all sports across the board, since some sports don't take in the revenue to support paying them. He doesn't believe that the higher grossing, more popular sports like football and basketball should be burdened with funding pay for athletes in minor sports. I agree with him, as well as his contention that it would be fair, though, for athletes to be compensated in proportion to the amount of revenue that their sport was generating. I remember just a couple of years ago when the usually dominant University of Florida football team was experiencing an off year, with their normally explosive offense in "sputter" mode. Local businesses suffered as a result, meaning that they had been feeding off and profiting from the labors of the local athletes. Those athletes have a marketable skill and should not be denied the opportunity to benefit from it. On Saturday in the fall, college football fever generates enormous profits for its schools, communities, and the television networks and stations broadcasting the games. Something very similar happens the next day, on Sunday, when the professionals play. Why should one group be discriminated against while the other rakes in the riches?
Mr. Vetell did make one caveat to his endorsement of collegiate athletes being paid for their work, besides the condition he made that they reflect the marketability of their sport. Before anyone gets paid, those participating in the minor sports should receive FULL scholarships and not the flimsy HALF scholarships that are doled out. Sounds reasonable to me; actually, I wasn't even aware of "half" scholarships in this area...
Mr. Vetell did make one caveat to his endorsement of collegiate athletes being paid for their work, besides the condition he made that they reflect the marketability of their sport. Before anyone gets paid, those participating in the minor sports should receive FULL scholarships and not the flimsy HALF scholarships that are doled out. Sounds reasonable to me; actually, I wasn't even aware of "half" scholarships in this area...
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Ran Seven Miles for First Time Since March
Today I crept a little further up in my quest to resume my former distance running range by managing a seven mile run, something I hadn't accomplished since March, when I also last ran a half-marathon. It's a bit of a psychological boost for me, seeing that the distance I covered today is a little over half the 13.1 mile half-marathon distance. There's still that local Gainesville half-marathon looming at the end of September, and it would be a personal triumph of sorts to be able to run and finish it. As for the foot problem I have been experiencing, I believe that by performing certain daily stretching exercises, wearing snug-fitting, supportive shoes, and keeping the runs to once a day (and at the same general time), the problem has stabilized and ameliorated. But I still have to be careful...
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Senate Nuclear Option Expedient But Unwise
Recently, the Democrats in the United States Senate under the leadership of Harry Reid expressed their determination to change the Senate rules on dealing with the President's nominations and eliminate filibusters, effectively ending the supermajority 60-vote prerequisite and allowing the nominations to be confirmed with a simple 51-vote majority. The Republicans, for their part, cried foul and claimed that it would destroy the Senate as a deliberative body that, unlike the House of Representatives, accorded the minority party a degree of participation in the crafting of legislation. Of course, the planned rule change wouldn't have applied to legislation, just nominations. The current Democratic administration claims its nominations are needlessly being held up by the Republicans under their leader Mitch McConnell. Got all that?
Good, because just eight years ago the two parties were completely switched regarding their rules when it was the Republicans who were calling for a change. They (including Senator McConnell) approvingly called it the "Constitutional Option" while Democratic opponents (including Senator Reid) denounced it as the "Nuclear Option". It was nothing but comical the other day on C-Span as this station played clips of the pro and con senators back in 2005 expressing diametrically opposite opinions on this issue than they have today. As it turns out, neither party exercised their threatened rule change. Whew!
It never ceases to tickle me how whichever political party that happens to find itself in power seems to have the idea that they will ALWAYS remain in power and that those guys on the other side of the aisle won't someday put THEM in the minority. As Tennessee's Republican Senator Lamar Alexander pointed out, changing the rule now may benefit the Democrats, but in a few years we may have a Republican president with control of both houses of Congress. If that happens, those Democrats would rue the day they expediently changed the rules just to get a few nominees confirmed as we end up with some possibly "far out" characters confirmed to their posts...
Good, because just eight years ago the two parties were completely switched regarding their rules when it was the Republicans who were calling for a change. They (including Senator McConnell) approvingly called it the "Constitutional Option" while Democratic opponents (including Senator Reid) denounced it as the "Nuclear Option". It was nothing but comical the other day on C-Span as this station played clips of the pro and con senators back in 2005 expressing diametrically opposite opinions on this issue than they have today. As it turns out, neither party exercised their threatened rule change. Whew!
It never ceases to tickle me how whichever political party that happens to find itself in power seems to have the idea that they will ALWAYS remain in power and that those guys on the other side of the aisle won't someday put THEM in the minority. As Tennessee's Republican Senator Lamar Alexander pointed out, changing the rule now may benefit the Democrats, but in a few years we may have a Republican president with control of both houses of Congress. If that happens, those Democrats would rue the day they expediently changed the rules just to get a few nominees confirmed as we end up with some possibly "far out" characters confirmed to their posts...
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Visit to Amicalola Falls, Georgia
During our recent trip to northern Georgia, we paid a visit to Amicalola Falls State Park, which is about twenty miles east of Ellijay. We've been there before, but it has been several years. The park is dominated by the beautiful falls and presents different hiking trails from the bottom (at the entrance) to the top. The last time we went, which was in the 1990's, we took the longer-but-less-steep eastern trail. This time we opted to go west...a shorter route that involved walking up 450 steps. At the base of the steps was a bridge spanning the middle of the falls, and I got in some good photos (family pictured). At the top was the rest of the park, including a lodge with a shop and a restaurant, where we ate lunch (the buffet was superb). I took some pictures from up there, too, including the one here of the grassy field and trees. Oh, by the way, at the entrance is a nice little shop, too and a place to eat...
Monday, July 22, 2013
Steep Driveways and Roads in North Georgia
Recently I stayed with my family in a cabin in northern Georgia. The cabin itself is in a very hilly area, and I was not at all accustomed to getting around on this type of terrain, being from flat-as-a-board Florida. When we first approached the cabin, we looked down at the driveway...way, way down! I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little bit apprehensive at going down to the bottom, but with extreme care we made it. Once at the bottom, though, the next question was whether we'd be able to climb back out of it!
For those used to these types of hills, this may seem a bit silly. I honestly don't know how some of the people who live up there are able to get around on such steep roads and driveways...especially when it's rainy and the roads are slippery.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
A Visit to Santa Fe College's Planetarium
Despite the date and the title, the show itself didn't delve into the Apollo landing...or even our space program in general, for that matter. It was more a primer on nighttime naked eye star gazing, explaining rudiments like altitude, azimuth, the meridian, the zenith, and where the planets are currently standing against the backdrop of the constellations. If you get up just before sunrise (and it's not cloudy) and look toward the eastern horizon you'll see Jupiter and Mars in "conjunction" (appearing very close to each other). Also, our next lunar eclipse with be in April, 2014. For Gainesville, the next solar eclipse will occur sometime in 2017; if you travel up to Nashville, Tennessee, it will be total.
I haven't been to a planetarium in decades, and this was my first visit to the one at Santa Fe College. The star projection technology has vastly improved over my last planetarium experience, with it actually resembling a real night sky! Kudos. Albury was a great host, the storytellers did their presentations well, and Serrie was perfect with his meditative, dreamy music. The show was for one hour and cost me $5. Pretty good deal, I think!
Before this past March I was always at work during the weekly Santa Fe Planetariums shows. Now, though, I may be taking more of them in...
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Fantasy Fatigue Setting In With A Game of Thrones
At the enthusiastic urging of my son, I recently began reading George R.R. Martin's enormously popular fantasy series A Game of Thrones. I'm about three quarters of the way through the first book, but am once again struggling with a phenomenon that I have come to call "fantasy fatigue". What's that, you might ask...
In just about every fantasy novel I've started, the setting is exotic and interesting. Usually the book features a map of the make-believe land, something that strongly appeals to me from early in my childhood when my sister and I would play a fantasy game called "Mapland" and we would imagine different parts of our front and back yards to be separate countries with various geographical features like jungle, mountains, oceans...and various animals to contend with as well. I like this element of fantasy literature. As a matter of fact, J.R.R. Tolkiens's very detailed mapping of Middle Earth was a very important factor in my affection for his Lord of the Rings series. As far as the characters and the way that fantasy fiction societies are inevitably presented are concerned, though, the fatigue sets in pretty quickly...
I am sick and tired of being expected to root for hard-ass, sword-swinging, and autocratic protagonists who only want to protect the established aristocratic, anti-democratic order against the evil enemy, who as often as not attempts to rally the "common" people to its cause. After finishing Tad Williams' wonderful, eerily prophetic, and unrecognized four-volume science fiction series Otherland, I decided to try out one of this primarily fantasy-genre writer's other works. I got through the first few chapters of the first book in one of his series and had to put it down. It wasn't the writing per se that was bad; no, the society that I as a reader was being expected to support was abhorrent to me. The same thing happened when I started Terry Goodkind's Wizard's Rule series. It occurred again with Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. And now the fatigue is rising again with Martin and his "throne game". In each of these experiences I began to have the unsettling experience of rooting for the "bad guys" because I could not bring myself to accept the status quo that the "good guys" were trying to preserve. With Martin, this problem is compounded by his alternation of chapters, each presented to expressed the personal experiences and view point of a protagonist character. The antagonists, though, get less "fair and balanced" treatment than even the liberals on Fox News Channel. So what does Eddard Stark, the supposed main character of A Game of Thrones, want more than anything? To preserved a brutal kingdom that puts down women and the poor. In "his" proper world, men can father children out of wedlock with impunity, but a woman caught so doing can best hope for exile. And don't get me started with how prostitution is universal here for poor women with no other means of support...
There are different royal houses vying for power in A Game of Thrones. The "good" Houses of Stark, Baratheon, Arryn, and Tully are ruled by fools who let emotions govern their actions instead of reason. The "bad" Lannisters, for their part, although brutal themselves, display a feistiness and cunning that I admire. At my stage in the reading, I know as a reader I'm supposed to be rooting against the Lannisters, but guess what? I hope they wipe everyone else out! Fat chance of that happening, I suppose...
I am going to continue trying to get through this series in spite of my objections, though. It leaves a bad feeling within me to start books only to abandon them. George R.R. Martin's writing is very good, but I fear for those "bad" Lannisters as I read on...
In just about every fantasy novel I've started, the setting is exotic and interesting. Usually the book features a map of the make-believe land, something that strongly appeals to me from early in my childhood when my sister and I would play a fantasy game called "Mapland" and we would imagine different parts of our front and back yards to be separate countries with various geographical features like jungle, mountains, oceans...and various animals to contend with as well. I like this element of fantasy literature. As a matter of fact, J.R.R. Tolkiens's very detailed mapping of Middle Earth was a very important factor in my affection for his Lord of the Rings series. As far as the characters and the way that fantasy fiction societies are inevitably presented are concerned, though, the fatigue sets in pretty quickly...
I am sick and tired of being expected to root for hard-ass, sword-swinging, and autocratic protagonists who only want to protect the established aristocratic, anti-democratic order against the evil enemy, who as often as not attempts to rally the "common" people to its cause. After finishing Tad Williams' wonderful, eerily prophetic, and unrecognized four-volume science fiction series Otherland, I decided to try out one of this primarily fantasy-genre writer's other works. I got through the first few chapters of the first book in one of his series and had to put it down. It wasn't the writing per se that was bad; no, the society that I as a reader was being expected to support was abhorrent to me. The same thing happened when I started Terry Goodkind's Wizard's Rule series. It occurred again with Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. And now the fatigue is rising again with Martin and his "throne game". In each of these experiences I began to have the unsettling experience of rooting for the "bad guys" because I could not bring myself to accept the status quo that the "good guys" were trying to preserve. With Martin, this problem is compounded by his alternation of chapters, each presented to expressed the personal experiences and view point of a protagonist character. The antagonists, though, get less "fair and balanced" treatment than even the liberals on Fox News Channel. So what does Eddard Stark, the supposed main character of A Game of Thrones, want more than anything? To preserved a brutal kingdom that puts down women and the poor. In "his" proper world, men can father children out of wedlock with impunity, but a woman caught so doing can best hope for exile. And don't get me started with how prostitution is universal here for poor women with no other means of support...
There are different royal houses vying for power in A Game of Thrones. The "good" Houses of Stark, Baratheon, Arryn, and Tully are ruled by fools who let emotions govern their actions instead of reason. The "bad" Lannisters, for their part, although brutal themselves, display a feistiness and cunning that I admire. At my stage in the reading, I know as a reader I'm supposed to be rooting against the Lannisters, but guess what? I hope they wipe everyone else out! Fat chance of that happening, I suppose...
I am going to continue trying to get through this series in spite of my objections, though. It leaves a bad feeling within me to start books only to abandon them. George R.R. Martin's writing is very good, but I fear for those "bad" Lannisters as I read on...
Friday, July 19, 2013
Enjoyable Treadmill Workout
Tonight I enjoyed the beginning of my weekend as a severe thunderstorm descended over my area, sending temperatures plummeting 20 degrees and giving me the excuse to forego running through my neighborhood and instead go to my local air-conditioned gym and use one of their treadmills. This I did and easily amassed five miles, wondering to myself if maybe I'm not so out of shape after all (I could have run further). It could well be that I have just become more sensitive to very hot weather over the years. I looked back on my records with awe when I saw that I had regularly gone out on ten-plus mile runs in stifling summer mid-nineties conditions. And then put in full, strenuous work days! Of course, my mind back then was set on me getting in condition to run 26.2 mile marathon races, a feat I briefly attained early in 2011 but then quickly abandoned in favor of the more reasonable 13.1 half-marathon race.
Although the treadmill is good to me, I still feel the need to do road running as well. I may just take some days and run shorter distances on the road and alternate these with longer treadmill workouts...
Although the treadmill is good to me, I still feel the need to do road running as well. I may just take some days and run shorter distances on the road and alternate these with longer treadmill workouts...
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Summer Heat, Out of Shape
The dog days of summer are definitely here in northern Florida, with the temperatures daily climbing into the low 90's. Right now the temperature, according to my weather station on TV, is 91 degrees although just below that figure is shown the predicted high for today: 86! We're getting some relief from time to time, though, with some thunderstorms bringing some welcome coolness. The humidity is low at 44 %, so despite the heat I went outside running. My main problem with running isn't the summer heat, or even the right foot pains that I've previously discussed here. No, dang it, I am out of shape, having put on a few pounds and then having to carry those extra pounds each time I take a step. Time for me to shape up...
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Announcer Crosses Line Ripping All-Star Game
I usually drive to work around 10 pm and last time was no exception. While on the road, I often fiddle around with my car radio with the usually vain hope of finding anything worthy of listening to. One of my regular "visits" while radio surfing is WRUF-AM, a local sports talk station on 850 kHz. When I tuned in last night, some announcer was carrying on about how uninteresting and irrelevant the annual Major League Baseball All-Star game is. To drive home his point he asked the listening audience who among them would really be willing to pay the asked admission price and attend the game, without someone else footing the bill for them. Then he said that he himself sure wouldn't. Fine, I tend to agree with this dude's viewpoint on the subject. Then, however, he went on to call the next pitch...OMG, this guy who was just ripping apart the All-Star Game was one its PAID play-by-play announcers!
That crossed a line, in my opinion. When you're on the job getting paid to promote your business, you don't go public with your negative opinions. I've watched sporting events before that quickly became lopsided, with the eventual winner assured early on. And each time the announcers would make the best of the situation, using their skill as professional broadcasters to liven things up and make it more appealing for the viewer to keep tuned in. Not trash the event and then not blame the public for disliking it, too.
By all accounts, anyway, last night's All-Star Game turned out to be pretty interesting, I hear, with the American League pitchers putting on an appropriately "stellar" performance with a strong 3-0 win over the National League. I probably would have enjoyed watching at last some of it had I not had other things occupying my time then...
That crossed a line, in my opinion. When you're on the job getting paid to promote your business, you don't go public with your negative opinions. I've watched sporting events before that quickly became lopsided, with the eventual winner assured early on. And each time the announcers would make the best of the situation, using their skill as professional broadcasters to liven things up and make it more appealing for the viewer to keep tuned in. Not trash the event and then not blame the public for disliking it, too.
By all accounts, anyway, last night's All-Star Game turned out to be pretty interesting, I hear, with the American League pitchers putting on an appropriately "stellar" performance with a strong 3-0 win over the National League. I probably would have enjoyed watching at last some of it had I not had other things occupying my time then...
Monday, July 15, 2013
Too Much Sitting Harmful to Health
I happened upon a Runner's World magazine the other day, this August's issue. On the cover was a teaser heading asking if sitting wasn't the new smoking. What were they talking about? Well, at the time I couldn't delve into the magazine. Later, though, at a local bookstore, I found a copy, SAT DOWN, and read the article in amazement. It turned my view of the concept of "rest" on its head.
Sitting for extended periods of time apparently has the effect of shutting down the body's metabolism, essentially negating the positive effects of exercise (even long-distance running) and exposing the body to increased dangers of all sorts of maladies, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer among them. Concurrent with this charge against extended sitting was the warning that watching TV for long stretches was bad,too...unless the viewer was standing, of course.
We here in Western culture are a sitting people by habit. We sit when we drive, when we study, when we eat, when we watch movies or TV, when we socialize...and for many of us, sitting dominates our work time. Yet too much of it can slice years from our lives and make what we do have a time of worse health. But what can I personally do to reduce my daily sitting time?
The article didn't exactly go into the idea of lying down instead of sitting; I've heard, though, that lying puts less strain on the spine. Still, unless you're using the time that you lie for necessary sleep, I don't think you're going to eliminate the bulk of the hazard associated with sitting by just getting horizontal. So we're left standing with...standing!
Fortunately for me, my job doesn't necessitate sitting. As a matter of fact, none of it, sans the break periods, allow it! So I don't need to come up with special strategies that office workers might need to stand up on their jobs. Good. But I still have to drive...riding a bicycle doesn't present itself as a practical, reliable form of transportation. Maybe in 1980, but not now. And when I am with other people in social settings, often I will need to sit just to fit into the group. So where can I reduce my sitting?
The big area is when I am at home watching TV. This may take a lot of intense effort to undo a lifetime of brainwashing, but I will work to replace the deeply ingrained habit of sitting in front of the television set with that of standing. Keep tuned for my progress in that regard. Along with curbing sitting while watching TV, I also need to replace the idea that sitting is necessary for "rest" and a "break" and instead see how far I get standing instead.
I don't know which will be harder: changing how I watch TV or taking breaks while standing. Should be an adventure of sorts...
Sitting for extended periods of time apparently has the effect of shutting down the body's metabolism, essentially negating the positive effects of exercise (even long-distance running) and exposing the body to increased dangers of all sorts of maladies, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer among them. Concurrent with this charge against extended sitting was the warning that watching TV for long stretches was bad,too...unless the viewer was standing, of course.
We here in Western culture are a sitting people by habit. We sit when we drive, when we study, when we eat, when we watch movies or TV, when we socialize...and for many of us, sitting dominates our work time. Yet too much of it can slice years from our lives and make what we do have a time of worse health. But what can I personally do to reduce my daily sitting time?
The article didn't exactly go into the idea of lying down instead of sitting; I've heard, though, that lying puts less strain on the spine. Still, unless you're using the time that you lie for necessary sleep, I don't think you're going to eliminate the bulk of the hazard associated with sitting by just getting horizontal. So we're left standing with...standing!
Fortunately for me, my job doesn't necessitate sitting. As a matter of fact, none of it, sans the break periods, allow it! So I don't need to come up with special strategies that office workers might need to stand up on their jobs. Good. But I still have to drive...riding a bicycle doesn't present itself as a practical, reliable form of transportation. Maybe in 1980, but not now. And when I am with other people in social settings, often I will need to sit just to fit into the group. So where can I reduce my sitting?
The big area is when I am at home watching TV. This may take a lot of intense effort to undo a lifetime of brainwashing, but I will work to replace the deeply ingrained habit of sitting in front of the television set with that of standing. Keep tuned for my progress in that regard. Along with curbing sitting while watching TV, I also need to replace the idea that sitting is necessary for "rest" and a "break" and instead see how far I get standing instead.
I don't know which will be harder: changing how I watch TV or taking breaks while standing. Should be an adventure of sorts...
Sunday, July 14, 2013
TV Pickings Slim, Where's the WNBA?
I was doing my "coach potato" thing last night, channel surfing around the television universe. It was slim pickings, sad to say, with the Al Pacino celebration of gratuitous violence, Scarface, on one of the channels being the best selection available. But although Pacino's performance as the anger-management-challenged thug Tony Montana was riveting, I just couldn't take the lengthy scenes with Michelle Pfeiffer's languid, flat performance. So I did what many others probably did: I switched to my DVD/Blue Ray collection, picking Lord of the Rings to watch. Oh, there could have been a different option for me had the NBA Channel not been displaying a bit of sexism in its programming...
For years the National Basketball Association has been promoting its own sister league to the men's...the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association), which wisely plays its schedule during the summer to avoid conflicting with the men's league play. I've watched a few games so far this year during the rare times that they've seen fit to broadcast any, and I was impressed with the skill and spirit shown by the players. So far, I like the Phoenix Mercury, but I haven't seen enough of the other teams to really settle down to follow one particular team over the others. You might think that a Saturday night might be a great opportunity for the league to showcase its women's basketball and increase its popularity. But you'd be wrong...
Instead, the NBA Channel kept the WNBA off and showed men's Summer League games. These feature players who are trying to make the regular teams; not even the second stringers are here! But that's what was shown, so I opted for Frodo, Gandalf, and company instead.
Maybe the NBA Channel (or even possibly ESPN) will choose today to show some exciting WNBA action. There are some interesting scenarios taking place in the league. The Phoenix Mercury are doing better than last year, while last year's champion, the Indiana Fever, had a terrible start due to several key injuries in their starting lineup. Can they get back on track in time to make the playoffs? The Atlanta Dream are dominating the East, but to me the Minnesota Lynx, who lost in the finals to the Fever last year and are leading the West, seem to be the dominant team in the league so far. But even if they show some other teams playing each other, I'll watch. Who knows, I just might find "my" team!
For years the National Basketball Association has been promoting its own sister league to the men's...the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association), which wisely plays its schedule during the summer to avoid conflicting with the men's league play. I've watched a few games so far this year during the rare times that they've seen fit to broadcast any, and I was impressed with the skill and spirit shown by the players. So far, I like the Phoenix Mercury, but I haven't seen enough of the other teams to really settle down to follow one particular team over the others. You might think that a Saturday night might be a great opportunity for the league to showcase its women's basketball and increase its popularity. But you'd be wrong...
Instead, the NBA Channel kept the WNBA off and showed men's Summer League games. These feature players who are trying to make the regular teams; not even the second stringers are here! But that's what was shown, so I opted for Frodo, Gandalf, and company instead.
Maybe the NBA Channel (or even possibly ESPN) will choose today to show some exciting WNBA action. There are some interesting scenarios taking place in the league. The Phoenix Mercury are doing better than last year, while last year's champion, the Indiana Fever, had a terrible start due to several key injuries in their starting lineup. Can they get back on track in time to make the playoffs? The Atlanta Dream are dominating the East, but to me the Minnesota Lynx, who lost in the finals to the Fever last year and are leading the West, seem to be the dominant team in the league so far. But even if they show some other teams playing each other, I'll watch. Who knows, I just might find "my" team!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Rare Saturday Morning at Starbucks
As I write this, it is late morning on a Saturday. I am sitting in my "spot" at the local Magnolia Parke Starbucks studying and writing. It's just like the good old days, before I switched my work hours to the graveyard shift back in March. But last night I was off and I reverted, like always, to my habit of sleeping the night away. So I'm pretty refreshed right now, as opposed to how I usually am at this time of day: worn out and sleepy.
I had been experiencing second thoughts about having changed my work hours from the afternoon/evening shift to the late night/early morning hours. As it has now turned out, though, I would have been reassigned to this time slot anyway by management and to a location that I have been trying to avoid working at over the years. So now the hours aren't so cool, but the duty assignment works just fine...so I think I came out on top, considering the circumstances.
I'm fortunate that I came into Starbucks today at the moment I did, for that empty seat I like so much was available in spite of the place being very busy. And soon after I got here it became even busier. Saturday is a busy, busy time for this Starbucks!
The remnants of tropical storm Chantal are forecast to spread through and sit over Florida this weekend, dumping copious amounts of rain on us. I have a few outdoor projects that I would like to work on. Right now the sun is out, but I see the clouds starting to accumulate. Oh well, I have some "indoor" projects to occupy myself, too...
I had been experiencing second thoughts about having changed my work hours from the afternoon/evening shift to the late night/early morning hours. As it has now turned out, though, I would have been reassigned to this time slot anyway by management and to a location that I have been trying to avoid working at over the years. So now the hours aren't so cool, but the duty assignment works just fine...so I think I came out on top, considering the circumstances.
I'm fortunate that I came into Starbucks today at the moment I did, for that empty seat I like so much was available in spite of the place being very busy. And soon after I got here it became even busier. Saturday is a busy, busy time for this Starbucks!
The remnants of tropical storm Chantal are forecast to spread through and sit over Florida this weekend, dumping copious amounts of rain on us. I have a few outdoor projects that I would like to work on. Right now the sun is out, but I see the clouds starting to accumulate. Oh well, I have some "indoor" projects to occupy myself, too...
Friday, July 12, 2013
Running Progress and Upcoming Half-Marathon
I have been continuing to make some progress with my recovery from a right foot injury, increasing my daily running without noticing any increased pain or discomfort levels. But I still need to carefully monitor my situation and be prepared to slacken off the running should things begin to worsen (hopefully it won't). Just having lightened up on my running during the last two months, though, has taken its toll on my endurance, with just getting through previously easy distances something of a chore. Still, I am making progress with this as well, managing somehow to run 5.1 miles earlier today. The stifling hot, muggy summer weather we're experiencing right now in northern Florida isn't making it any better. When it gets too bad, though, I can run indoors on the treadmill (which is what I did today).
It looks as if there will be a half-marathon race staged right here in Gainesville, on the last Saturday morning in September. The course will wind all through the University of Florida campus, something that has great appeal to me, a Gator alumnus. I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) that this event will take place on a Saturday in which the UF football team will be out of town, playing elsewhere. Considering what I have recently been through with this foot problem, being able to enter and finish this race would be a great personal victory. But regardless I'm still going to have to continue taking things one day at a time...
It looks as if there will be a half-marathon race staged right here in Gainesville, on the last Saturday morning in September. The course will wind all through the University of Florida campus, something that has great appeal to me, a Gator alumnus. I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) that this event will take place on a Saturday in which the UF football team will be out of town, playing elsewhere. Considering what I have recently been through with this foot problem, being able to enter and finish this race would be a great personal victory. But regardless I'm still going to have to continue taking things one day at a time...
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Zimmerman Trial Spin on the Five
I was watching The Five on Fox News yesterday afternoon, and they were discussing the George Zimmerman murder trial, which is winding down and will be soon going to the jury for deliberation. Greg Gutfeld made a comment that I have to take great issue with. He said that the confrontation between Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, which culminated in the latter's death by a gunshot wound, shouldn't be viewed in the context of race, but rather as simply a fight between two men. Leave race out of it, Gutfeld maintained. I see it differently, though...
Had Zimmerman not been profiling this young black man walking through the neighborhood and then pursued and openly confronted him, armed, then we wouldn't be having a murder trial...or a death. No, although I am seeing a great amount of emphasis being placed during the trial about who was "on top" during the final struggle between Martin and Zimmerman, and whether the killer performed his deed in "self-defense", the conservative spin-doctors are actually, in my opinion, displaying racism by surgically removing the subject from their analysis. It's really very similar to saying that, since blacks have a tendency to be profiled by the police for arbitrary traffic stops, then any ensuing complication to such an encounter that results in arrest or injury to said citizen can't be interpreted in a racial context. But the profiling creates the situation!
Then the "Five" panel (not just Gutfeld) kept going on about how "race" was being injected into this case by the media. No, as soon as I heard of this story, I immediately saw what was going on myself without the need for any further "assistance" from the media. But if I or anyone else takes the information that is presented and arrives at independent conclusions, then that is supposedly the media manipulating me. I beg to differ with such hogwash. Especially when those espousing that viewpoint are themselves shoveling in the manipulation...
Had Zimmerman not been profiling this young black man walking through the neighborhood and then pursued and openly confronted him, armed, then we wouldn't be having a murder trial...or a death. No, although I am seeing a great amount of emphasis being placed during the trial about who was "on top" during the final struggle between Martin and Zimmerman, and whether the killer performed his deed in "self-defense", the conservative spin-doctors are actually, in my opinion, displaying racism by surgically removing the subject from their analysis. It's really very similar to saying that, since blacks have a tendency to be profiled by the police for arbitrary traffic stops, then any ensuing complication to such an encounter that results in arrest or injury to said citizen can't be interpreted in a racial context. But the profiling creates the situation!
Then the "Five" panel (not just Gutfeld) kept going on about how "race" was being injected into this case by the media. No, as soon as I heard of this story, I immediately saw what was going on myself without the need for any further "assistance" from the media. But if I or anyone else takes the information that is presented and arrives at independent conclusions, then that is supposedly the media manipulating me. I beg to differ with such hogwash. Especially when those espousing that viewpoint are themselves shoveling in the manipulation...
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Petty Political Spinning Undermines Deeper Issues
If you tune in to various political shows on television or radio, you're bound to get immersed in a lot of banter aimed at disparaging those political leaders or media commentators with differing views. On TV, Fox News and MSNBC feed off each other's programming, regularly and derisively quoting snippets of comments their own commentators disagree with. Leaders or candidates for political posts have their statements, personalities, and personal lives torn to shreds by their opponents in the media. Sometimes the criticisms are relevant, but regardless the aim is to create doubt in the mind of the viewer as to the trustworthiness of the targeted individuals. To a degree I can understand this as, after all, nobody wants to elect someone who is incompetent, ignorant, or dishonest. Unfortunately, our current electoral process seems to force candidates into showing themselves to be these very things. So for a voter to say that a candidate whose political orientation doesn't fit with their own viewpoint is speaking out of both sides of their mouth is really just a little bit ingenuous and self-deceiving when, after all, "their guy" is in all probability doing the same thing. The only difference is the free pass being given to the latter.
Apart from being careful to avoid electing someone who is criminally insane to office, I think that, instead of harping on gaffes and the tedious political spinning dominating the media, it would be a better idea for each of us within the electorate to decide where we stand, not only on the various issues that concern us, but also on the underlying political philosophies that underpin the parties which provide us these admittedly imperfect candidates (and they are ALL imperfect). I can't make others deal with politics like this, but at least I can for myself...
Apart from being careful to avoid electing someone who is criminally insane to office, I think that, instead of harping on gaffes and the tedious political spinning dominating the media, it would be a better idea for each of us within the electorate to decide where we stand, not only on the various issues that concern us, but also on the underlying political philosophies that underpin the parties which provide us these admittedly imperfect candidates (and they are ALL imperfect). I can't make others deal with politics like this, but at least I can for myself...
Monday, July 8, 2013
My June 2013 Running Report
It's been a few days since I have had access to a computer to file a blog article, so my June 2013 running summary is a little bit delayed. But here it is anyway...
In June, I still had the ongoing issue with my right foot. Still, I seem to have learned how to manage it by following prescribed daily stretching routines, wearing sturdy shoes, and applying ice to the heel after running to keep down inflammation. There is still some pain, but it isn't intensifying. And my running has been increasing: I ran a total of 43.97 miles for the month, running on 19 days. That's an improvement from May's bleak totals. My longest run was 4.3 miles. Taking into account alternative "MECT" (see earlier article) activities, the total June mileage goes up to 54.57 miles.
I can feel that my endurance has slipped quite a lot over the last couple of months. And I don't enjoy running and its effects as much as before, with this problem of foot pain nagging me like this. Still I plod on, hoping that in time I'll return to an earlier level of enjoyment...
In June, I still had the ongoing issue with my right foot. Still, I seem to have learned how to manage it by following prescribed daily stretching routines, wearing sturdy shoes, and applying ice to the heel after running to keep down inflammation. There is still some pain, but it isn't intensifying. And my running has been increasing: I ran a total of 43.97 miles for the month, running on 19 days. That's an improvement from May's bleak totals. My longest run was 4.3 miles. Taking into account alternative "MECT" (see earlier article) activities, the total June mileage goes up to 54.57 miles.
I can feel that my endurance has slipped quite a lot over the last couple of months. And I don't enjoy running and its effects as much as before, with this problem of foot pain nagging me like this. Still I plod on, hoping that in time I'll return to an earlier level of enjoyment...
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