My March 2026 Running and Walking Report

 On this last day in March, 2026, I have come to a conclusion about something standing in the way of my current efforts at progress in running and walking.  And it directly concerns the weight of footwear, that is shoes, that I wear.  I have often commented to Melissa that my difficult walking efforts, to me, usually seem like resistance training.  Covering longer distances resembles trying to cram too many reps into a routine without a break, as if I were lifting weights.  i also think that gaining around 50 pounds of bodyweight in less than a year has added to the difficulty with my walking and running.  I am still making the daily effort to exercise, running in place, rocking back and forth on my feet while balancing with my arms, and walking for set distances.  The progress, regrettably, has been painfully slow.  I deeply want to be able to complete another Parkrun 5K, something that this Saturday I should already be capable of accomplishing.  Well, other than my regular workout routines, the cumulative effect of my efforts hasn't led to much noticeable progress.  Well, I'm going to stick with the program and give my body a chance for some substantial improvement in endurance and fitness....

My Song of the Month for July 2025

Scottish alternative rock band Franz Ferdinand gets my nod in July for my personal favorite "song of the month" with the final track of their January album release (The Human Fear), titled The Birds.  It has a relentless guitar riff/hook to it, and Alex Kapranos, the lead singer and chief creative force behind their music and lyrics comes off sounding quite a lot like the Doors' Jim Morrison...I mean they sound like audio doppelgangers!  This is the second straight month in which I listened to a recent release by a group I already liked, sadly disliked almost the entire album but then suddenly bonded with their final track...for June it was Arcade Fire, their Pink Elephant album and the song Stuck in My Head.  The Birds contains simple lyrics, with Kapranos expressing gratitude to the listener for "accepting him despite what he has done"...that's repeated throughout this catchy tune.  So now here are my songs of the month so far for 2025:

July        The Birds   by Franz Ferdinand

June        Stuck in My Head   by Arcade Fire

May        Walking on a Dream   by Empire of the Sun

April       Nothing I Need   by Lord Huron

March     Under the Rug   by Arcy Drive

February  Starburster    by Fontaines DC

January   Everyone Out   by Diiv

Now, it's onward to August...

Constellation of the Month: Gemini (the Twins)

Gemini, the zodiac constellation that crosses the meridian during February around 9 pm, also extends further north than any of the other eleven in that group through which pass our sun, the moon, and the planets from our vantage point on Earth.  Its celestial latitude (declination) is such that at my Earth latitude of 30 degrees north it passes directly overhead.  Gemini was one of the first ever constellations I viewed, back in the early spring of 1964 when I was seven years old.  It's also the birth sign of my dear, late mother...although I never did go for that astrological stuff.  If you look at the above map I drew, imagine the left stars representing the Greek mythical twin Pollux and the right his brother Castor, their respective heads represented by the stars bearing their names.  Both are relatively near us, Castor a six-star system, nearly at first magnitude brilliance at 52 light-years while Pollux, an orange giant only 34 light-years away is a first magnitude star.  The constellation is the epicenter for the annual December Geminids meteor shower, and the M35 star cluster on Gemini's west side and the strange looking Eskimo Nebula on its east are standout objects to pursue with the telescope.  Gemini is directly to the northeast from last month's featured constellation of Orion...wonder what I'll pick for March as my constellation of the month: I'm going to have to choose among some smaller and fainter ones...