After reading some of the editorial letters and articles recently about the tenor of political debate leading up to and following the Tucson shootings, it may be necessary for me to reiterate my position. Some of the letters I read pick on President Obama, trying to make it sound as if he, of all people, were promoting a climate of political violence. I consider these opinions to be sheer nonsense and dismiss them out of hand. Others emphasize that the perpetrator of the shootings in Tucson was mentally disturbed, not acting with a deliberate, thought-out political agenda against anyone. These people tend to put all of the recent gun-toting and gun-shooting in political rallies and ads into the context of "open and rigorous debate", appealing to their readers' innate sense of freedom of expression. I don't automatically dismiss this argument, because it contains elements worth considering.
I'm all for open and rigorous debate, and it's true that the alleged shooter in Arizona seemed to be mentally unhinged, to put it very mildly. But you can debate people, even getting personally insulting about it, without bringing the implied threat of using guns and violence into the dialogue. As a matter of fact, those who bring firearms into any political discussion, be it symbolically in an advertisement or literally at a rally, have emphatically ENDED the debate, as far as THEY are concerned. They are saying that this is the way they feel, they are not changing their view, and they will back up their position with a gun. Period.
As for the idea that those who have used guns and cross-hairs in their political messages haven't contributed to the problem because it was a mentally ill person who seems to be responsible for the massacre, this doesn't stand up to scrutiny either. For the whole point of the recent criticisms directed against using implied violence in ads or on websites against political opponents is based on the assumption that, while rational people may only just be swayed or offended at viewing them, someone with mental or emotional issues may go over the edge, consequently feeling a sense of justification and legitimacy for violently dealing with their paranoid delusions against the "enemy".
Ever since Obama has been president (and even before), paranoia has abounded in the media regarding his beliefs and intentions. The idea has apparently been to whip up as much irrational fear and hatred against this gentle, decent man who, although possibly carrying a more liberal agenda than many would like to see, is simply trying to do his best to help serve his country.
I would like to see political debate rise to the level where issues and philosophies can be debated rationally and respectfully. There ARE people from both the political left and right, both in the media and public office, who could raise the standards of political debate while maintaining their principles. They need to stand up more forcefully and be heard as clear alternatives to the hatemongers and demagogues who are so active and popular today.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
My Favorite Songs of 2010: #9
#9: 20 Years of Snow by Regina Spektor
20 Years of Snow, from Regina Spektor's 2006 Begin to Hope album, highlights her virtuosity with the piano. It is an exercise in musical turbulence, quite a trip to listen to. The song's narrative centers around the first twenty years of a woman's life, her father, and her present attitudes (or at least that's how I read it). Like Radiohead's Go to Sleep, it is a very exciting, stirring song, certain to increase the listener's pulse.
As with many songs I like, I imagine my own videos of it. One version has a young woman sweating in the hot Florida summertime while jogging. The scene transforms itself into a winter snowstorm, and she is bundled up struggling against the snow. Flashbacks from her childhood ensue, featuring her relationship with her father. Toward the song's end, its atonal nature and the cynical lyrics about strangers create a dank, dark scene of her moving around among sinister-looking men. And then she is back on the sweltering jogging trail, her outer appearance hiding the "20 years of snow" buried deep within her.
This is the sort of thing that comes from me listening to the same great songs repeatedly while piling up the miles running down roads in the hot, Florida summer: I tend to go off into flights of fantasy. But even if you just listen to the music of 20 Years of Snow for its own sake, this song kicks ass!
20 Years of Snow, from Regina Spektor's 2006 Begin to Hope album, highlights her virtuosity with the piano. It is an exercise in musical turbulence, quite a trip to listen to. The song's narrative centers around the first twenty years of a woman's life, her father, and her present attitudes (or at least that's how I read it). Like Radiohead's Go to Sleep, it is a very exciting, stirring song, certain to increase the listener's pulse.
As with many songs I like, I imagine my own videos of it. One version has a young woman sweating in the hot Florida summertime while jogging. The scene transforms itself into a winter snowstorm, and she is bundled up struggling against the snow. Flashbacks from her childhood ensue, featuring her relationship with her father. Toward the song's end, its atonal nature and the cynical lyrics about strangers create a dank, dark scene of her moving around among sinister-looking men. And then she is back on the sweltering jogging trail, her outer appearance hiding the "20 years of snow" buried deep within her.
This is the sort of thing that comes from me listening to the same great songs repeatedly while piling up the miles running down roads in the hot, Florida summer: I tend to go off into flights of fantasy. But even if you just listen to the music of 20 Years of Snow for its own sake, this song kicks ass!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Damned Fool Achieves Marathon Milestone
The great comedic actor W.C Fields reportedly once said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use in being a damned fool about it." I must be a damned fool because today I finally completed a marathon during my training. Unlike with the previous two long 20-mile runs, I encountered no "wall" beyond which I had no energy to continue. Instead, the night before I ate an entire large pizza and then continued eating at home after work. In running jargon, this is called "carb-loading". Often, before different marathon races, the organizers will offer a spaghetti or pancake dinner for the entrants. This carbohydrate loading makes a huge difference, something that I will never again forget to do.
My actual run today was 26.6 miles, well beyond the marathon length (26.2 miles). My finishing time was 4:23:01. At the beginning of my workout, the temperature was 62 with a 35% humidity. At its close, the numbers were 61 degrees and 42%. There was no precipitation and the sky gradually became overcast as the run progressed. An occasionally strong wind blew from the NNE.
My recovery from my training marathon couldn't be better. I feel energetic, my pulse is slowing, and I am only having to deal with some expected soreness in my legs.
Now I just need to sign up for the Ocala Marathon. The upcoming runs I do this week will be around 7-13 miles.
My actual run today was 26.6 miles, well beyond the marathon length (26.2 miles). My finishing time was 4:23:01. At the beginning of my workout, the temperature was 62 with a 35% humidity. At its close, the numbers were 61 degrees and 42%. There was no precipitation and the sky gradually became overcast as the run progressed. An occasionally strong wind blew from the NNE.
My recovery from my training marathon couldn't be better. I feel energetic, my pulse is slowing, and I am only having to deal with some expected soreness in my legs.
Now I just need to sign up for the Ocala Marathon. The upcoming runs I do this week will be around 7-13 miles.
Friday, January 14, 2011
My Favorite Songs of 2010: #10
#10: Go to Sleep by Radiohead
Go to Sleep, also from Radiohead's 2003 release Hail to the Thief, is a much more up-tempo piece than Sail to the Moon. From the start, it also conveys a darker, more sinister tone, its almost incomprehensible lyrics notwithstanding.
Go to Sleep is a hard rocker that would have fit in quite well with Gainesville radio's Rock-104 (before it turned country last year, that is). That it never received the airplay it merited is another example, I'm afraid, of a general lack of vision within broadcast radio.
When I had originally compiled my Radiohead collection and transferred it over to my MP3 player, Go to Sleep was just another track. But as I listened to my MP3 while running, this song would come up. I noticed that it had the effect of energizing me and making me more determined. It screams defiance, and that resonates deeply with me!
Go to Sleep is a really short song, but it packs a big punch. If you hear it, I can pretty much guarantee that going to sleep will be just about the last thing you think of! Especially with that intense, off-key repeated guitar riff at the end!
Hail to the Thief has other tracks I like besides There There, Sail to the Moon, and Go to Sleep. Most notable are Scatterbrain, 2 + 2 = 5, and A Punchup at a Wedding (don't you love these titles).
Go to Sleep, also from Radiohead's 2003 release Hail to the Thief, is a much more up-tempo piece than Sail to the Moon. From the start, it also conveys a darker, more sinister tone, its almost incomprehensible lyrics notwithstanding.
Go to Sleep is a hard rocker that would have fit in quite well with Gainesville radio's Rock-104 (before it turned country last year, that is). That it never received the airplay it merited is another example, I'm afraid, of a general lack of vision within broadcast radio.
When I had originally compiled my Radiohead collection and transferred it over to my MP3 player, Go to Sleep was just another track. But as I listened to my MP3 while running, this song would come up. I noticed that it had the effect of energizing me and making me more determined. It screams defiance, and that resonates deeply with me!
Go to Sleep is a really short song, but it packs a big punch. If you hear it, I can pretty much guarantee that going to sleep will be just about the last thing you think of! Especially with that intense, off-key repeated guitar riff at the end!
Hail to the Thief has other tracks I like besides There There, Sail to the Moon, and Go to Sleep. Most notable are Scatterbrain, 2 + 2 = 5, and A Punchup at a Wedding (don't you love these titles).
Thursday, January 13, 2011
More on My Running
As January 23, the date of the Ocala Marathon, draws nearer and nearer, I find myself still unregistered for it. The reason is simple: I don't want to spend a lot of money registering for a race that I end up not running in. I decided to see how I do on my long run Saturday. Then, in all likelihood I'll sign up and show up for the race, ready or not to complete a grueling 26.2 mile run.
I feel better this week after my runs of Tuesday and earlier today. Unlike with Sunday's run, the day before which I hardly ate anything and miraculously still managed to run 20.75 miles, I had eaten quite well the nights before these two runs (of 8.1 and 13.77 miles). I had enormous energy reserves and cruised through each workout. Tomorrow night I have my plan in place: during my lunch break at work, I am going to eat an entire Little Caesar's large pizza. After work, I'll shovel in some more food. Then we'll see what happens the next day. I predict a new personal distance record.
If it turns out on January 23 that I am not up to a 26.2 mile run, then I'll just walk as much as I have to in order to complete the distance. I just hope it doesn't rain. But then again, I suppose the unpredictable weather is an integral part of the suspense leading up to the race. I wonder whether the Ocala newspaper (whatever it's called) will print the race results the following day.
The Ocala Marathon has its own website showing a map of the race course as well as giving instructions to pick up the necessary racing packet at a local hotel on Saturday, January 22. After I pick up my racing packet, I plan to trace out the course in my car so that it won't be a complete mystery come race day.
I feel better this week after my runs of Tuesday and earlier today. Unlike with Sunday's run, the day before which I hardly ate anything and miraculously still managed to run 20.75 miles, I had eaten quite well the nights before these two runs (of 8.1 and 13.77 miles). I had enormous energy reserves and cruised through each workout. Tomorrow night I have my plan in place: during my lunch break at work, I am going to eat an entire Little Caesar's large pizza. After work, I'll shovel in some more food. Then we'll see what happens the next day. I predict a new personal distance record.
If it turns out on January 23 that I am not up to a 26.2 mile run, then I'll just walk as much as I have to in order to complete the distance. I just hope it doesn't rain. But then again, I suppose the unpredictable weather is an integral part of the suspense leading up to the race. I wonder whether the Ocala newspaper (whatever it's called) will print the race results the following day.
The Ocala Marathon has its own website showing a map of the race course as well as giving instructions to pick up the necessary racing packet at a local hotel on Saturday, January 22. After I pick up my racing packet, I plan to trace out the course in my car so that it won't be a complete mystery come race day.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Climate of Violence Fomented by Political Gun Nuts
Regarding the recent shooting deaths in Arizona, I partially blame the political and media idiots who have fomented a climate of acceptable violence by using symbolism promoting it in their messages. Sarah Palin's example is the most glaring: cross-hairs over the Democrats whose stances she politically opposes, on a map on her website. Shooting victim Representative Gabrielle Giffords was one whom she targeted. But Palin isn't the only one. West Virginia's Joe Manchin, a Democrat, put out ads during last year's senatorial campaign in which he was shooting at targets that represented liberal values he opposes (to show what a gun toting, good ol' boy he was), just to be elected West Virginia senator over a Tea Party wingnut. Closer to home, Debbie Boyd (another Democrat), apparently having seen Manchin's commercials, decided to copy him to show the local yokels how gun-crazy (and therefore electable) she was (she lost her Florida house race anyway). Then there were those gun nuts carrying their arms openly into political rallies, one even showing up at an Obama event in New Hampshire (and the dude even looked like Lee Harvey Oswald).
I would like to believe that these widespread attempts by some to intimidate their political opponents through the not-so-subtle threat of using armed violence has finally peaked out and will subside.
I sadly don't think these people have learned anything, though, and more tragedies like the Arizona shootings will continue to occur. They are very heavily into self-justification and have convenient media stars (like Beck, Hannity, Coulter, Savage, Levin, and Limbaugh) to prop them up by insisting that the "other side" is just as bad. But I see nothing of the sort happening from the political left that is going on with the paranoid, conspiracy-obsessed extreme right, abetted by the likes of Palin and Beck.
I would like to believe that these widespread attempts by some to intimidate their political opponents through the not-so-subtle threat of using armed violence has finally peaked out and will subside.
I sadly don't think these people have learned anything, though, and more tragedies like the Arizona shootings will continue to occur. They are very heavily into self-justification and have convenient media stars (like Beck, Hannity, Coulter, Savage, Levin, and Limbaugh) to prop them up by insisting that the "other side" is just as bad. But I see nothing of the sort happening from the political left that is going on with the paranoid, conspiracy-obsessed extreme right, abetted by the likes of Palin and Beck.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Training Wall Hit Again, Marathon Looms
Sunday I set out on a long run, intending to go as far as I could go, possibly even up to marathon distance (26.2 miles). The weather was conducive (in the low 50's throughout), I had no externally-imposed time limits to my run, and I had just broken in a pair of new, well-cushioned running shoes on Friday. I was determined to break through the 20-mile barrier from my Christmas run, beyond which I was then unable to continue.
Everything went quite well until I reached the same damned point in my run, and WHAM!...I ran smack into the "wall" again. I said to myself, "Self, this isn't going to work, you're just not cut out to run a marathon, just stick with the half-marathons". I changed my course to go directly home, but as I entered the final full block, a loose, ferocious pit bull began to bark at me from down the street and chase me. Before I got any closer, I turned around and ran the other way, marveling at how inconsiderate some neighbors can be and how little they must care about their dogs' welfare to allow them to run loose like that. I managed to detour around the next block and reach home. Although the dog incident at the run's end angered me, the result of it all was that I ended up marginally running my longest distance ever: 20.75 miles, with a time of 3:23:47.
I hadn't registered yet for January 23's Ocala Marathon, so I thought I might just run in the half-marathon event there instead. But Melissa convinced me to hang in there and give it one more try next weekend. I then remembered that I had hardly eaten anything the day before my run and my body's energy reserves were probably very low. Maybe I actually did quite well considering that fact alone. Also, so what if I enter the Ocala Marathon and can't finish it, or maybe have to walk the last few miles back at the end? I'm still gaining the valuable experience of participating in such an event, and the Gainesville Five Points Marathon is still out there to run in on February 20 if I want.
So after giving it some more thought (and realizing that my recovery from Sunday's run was much better than the one I did on Christmas day), I'm sticking with the intention of entering the Ocala Marathon. Even though there's no guarantee that I'll be able to finish it.
Everything went quite well until I reached the same damned point in my run, and WHAM!...I ran smack into the "wall" again. I said to myself, "Self, this isn't going to work, you're just not cut out to run a marathon, just stick with the half-marathons". I changed my course to go directly home, but as I entered the final full block, a loose, ferocious pit bull began to bark at me from down the street and chase me. Before I got any closer, I turned around and ran the other way, marveling at how inconsiderate some neighbors can be and how little they must care about their dogs' welfare to allow them to run loose like that. I managed to detour around the next block and reach home. Although the dog incident at the run's end angered me, the result of it all was that I ended up marginally running my longest distance ever: 20.75 miles, with a time of 3:23:47.
I hadn't registered yet for January 23's Ocala Marathon, so I thought I might just run in the half-marathon event there instead. But Melissa convinced me to hang in there and give it one more try next weekend. I then remembered that I had hardly eaten anything the day before my run and my body's energy reserves were probably very low. Maybe I actually did quite well considering that fact alone. Also, so what if I enter the Ocala Marathon and can't finish it, or maybe have to walk the last few miles back at the end? I'm still gaining the valuable experience of participating in such an event, and the Gainesville Five Points Marathon is still out there to run in on February 20 if I want.
So after giving it some more thought (and realizing that my recovery from Sunday's run was much better than the one I did on Christmas day), I'm sticking with the intention of entering the Ocala Marathon. Even though there's no guarantee that I'll be able to finish it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
My Favorite Songs of 2010: #11
#11: Sail to the Moon by Radiohead
Off Radiohead's 2003 Hail to the Thief album, Sail to the Moon is a slow-moving, elegantly mysterious piece that evokes a lot of imagery. I picture myself in a boat out in the ocean, with the rising moon just above the horizon. The waters are relatively peaceful, and it seems that I am indeed "sailing to the moon". The song's actual lyrics are cryptic, although if I wanted I'm sure I could analyze and decipher them. But for me it's the music, featuring Thom Yorke's brilliant high-pitched singing, that makes this song so great.
Ever since Hail to the Thief came out, many have thought (myself included) that it was a political album taking swipes at the Bush administration for "stealing" the 2000 election and invading Iraq in early 2003. But although there seem to be oblique references to politics throughout (Sail to the Moon even contains a reference to "the President"), Radiohead itself has repeatedly denied that this album has a political message to convey. Be that what it may, it is a beautiful work. For years, the only song I heard from it was the single release There There, which I made my favorite song of 2003. But Hail to the Thief, as good as it is, isn't my favorite Radiohead album (by far). That's how good I think they are.
Off Radiohead's 2003 Hail to the Thief album, Sail to the Moon is a slow-moving, elegantly mysterious piece that evokes a lot of imagery. I picture myself in a boat out in the ocean, with the rising moon just above the horizon. The waters are relatively peaceful, and it seems that I am indeed "sailing to the moon". The song's actual lyrics are cryptic, although if I wanted I'm sure I could analyze and decipher them. But for me it's the music, featuring Thom Yorke's brilliant high-pitched singing, that makes this song so great.
Ever since Hail to the Thief came out, many have thought (myself included) that it was a political album taking swipes at the Bush administration for "stealing" the 2000 election and invading Iraq in early 2003. But although there seem to be oblique references to politics throughout (Sail to the Moon even contains a reference to "the President"), Radiohead itself has repeatedly denied that this album has a political message to convey. Be that what it may, it is a beautiful work. For years, the only song I heard from it was the single release There There, which I made my favorite song of 2003. But Hail to the Thief, as good as it is, isn't my favorite Radiohead album (by far). That's how good I think they are.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Vicarious Sports Nonsense...and Me
I'm not too happy with the fact that my semi-prediction that none of the NFL Florida teams might make the playoffs was borne out. On the other hand, suppose they had? And suppose one of them made it all the way to the Super Bowl and won it? How would that have made any difference in my life?
I have been vicariously following sports since childhood. I had the experience during my teens of my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, winning the Super Bowl twice and even going completely undefeated one year. I also have seen three Florida Gators national championships in football and two in basketball. But truth be told, although it was fun to root for them and eventually witness them winning those titles, the experiences had a very minuscule effect on my overall happiness.
One year, when I was thirteen, I sensed this disconnect early on and tried an experiment on myself. I concocted an imaginary league in an imaginary sport. I created eight teams: Columbus, Houston, Memphis, Newark, Rochester, St. Louis, San Antonio, and Washington. I set up a season that comprised 154 games (like the old pre-sixties major league baseball seasons) and had the teams play each other in round-robin fashion (remember, without even specifying the sport). Then, I would shuffle a deck of cards and draw a pair at a time. The higher number would give a victory to the designated team, and I went through an entire season this way, writing down the "standings" as I went along. This game only went on for a few hours sometime during August 1970, but I still remember that completely unreal season to this date!
Washington started out strong and took an early lead over the others. Then Columbus surged and led for most of the middle of the season. About two thirds of the way through, there was a mad scramble for many "weeks" as the teams would jockey for position and the lead. Only Memphis seemed to be having a "bad" season, being in last most of the time. Toward the end, Newark (which I had for some reason decided to root for) surged way ahead in the standings over the rest. But then, unexpectedly, toward the end they went into a slump and Columbus squeaked out ahead and won a very tight finish over Newark and Memphis (who surged at the end). Early leader Washington ended up in last place, but all eight teams finished within six games of each other. The final standings:
1-Columbus (80-74)
2t-Memphis (79-75)
2t-Newark (79-75)
4t-Houston (77-77)
4t-St.Louis (77-77)
7t-Rochester (75-79)
7t-San Antonio (75-79)
8-Washington (74-80)
Remember, none of this really happened, the teams represented no particular sport, and I played this game more than thirty years ago. Yet the season and its outcome means as much to me as do any of the teams and seasons I've followed over the years!
The point to all this is that I think there are two ways one can follow a sport. Either you can enjoy the sport for its own sake, becoming a connoisseur of sorts, or you can become engrossed in the winning/losing/standings part. I noticed that I tend to be in the latter category. For example, sometimes when my favorite NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, is playing and the game is being covered on TV or radio, I will deliberately avoid watching or listening to it because I get too anxious as to how they're doing. I remember their win/loss records over the years, although it ultimately matters little to me whether they do well or not.
Isn't that silly??!!
I have been vicariously following sports since childhood. I had the experience during my teens of my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, winning the Super Bowl twice and even going completely undefeated one year. I also have seen three Florida Gators national championships in football and two in basketball. But truth be told, although it was fun to root for them and eventually witness them winning those titles, the experiences had a very minuscule effect on my overall happiness.
One year, when I was thirteen, I sensed this disconnect early on and tried an experiment on myself. I concocted an imaginary league in an imaginary sport. I created eight teams: Columbus, Houston, Memphis, Newark, Rochester, St. Louis, San Antonio, and Washington. I set up a season that comprised 154 games (like the old pre-sixties major league baseball seasons) and had the teams play each other in round-robin fashion (remember, without even specifying the sport). Then, I would shuffle a deck of cards and draw a pair at a time. The higher number would give a victory to the designated team, and I went through an entire season this way, writing down the "standings" as I went along. This game only went on for a few hours sometime during August 1970, but I still remember that completely unreal season to this date!
Washington started out strong and took an early lead over the others. Then Columbus surged and led for most of the middle of the season. About two thirds of the way through, there was a mad scramble for many "weeks" as the teams would jockey for position and the lead. Only Memphis seemed to be having a "bad" season, being in last most of the time. Toward the end, Newark (which I had for some reason decided to root for) surged way ahead in the standings over the rest. But then, unexpectedly, toward the end they went into a slump and Columbus squeaked out ahead and won a very tight finish over Newark and Memphis (who surged at the end). Early leader Washington ended up in last place, but all eight teams finished within six games of each other. The final standings:
1-Columbus (80-74)
2t-Memphis (79-75)
2t-Newark (79-75)
4t-Houston (77-77)
4t-St.Louis (77-77)
7t-Rochester (75-79)
7t-San Antonio (75-79)
8-Washington (74-80)
Remember, none of this really happened, the teams represented no particular sport, and I played this game more than thirty years ago. Yet the season and its outcome means as much to me as do any of the teams and seasons I've followed over the years!
The point to all this is that I think there are two ways one can follow a sport. Either you can enjoy the sport for its own sake, becoming a connoisseur of sorts, or you can become engrossed in the winning/losing/standings part. I noticed that I tend to be in the latter category. For example, sometimes when my favorite NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, is playing and the game is being covered on TV or radio, I will deliberately avoid watching or listening to it because I get too anxious as to how they're doing. I remember their win/loss records over the years, although it ultimately matters little to me whether they do well or not.
Isn't that silly??!!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
My Favorite Songs of 2010: #12
#12: Better by Regina Spektor
This song has a most spectacular beginning, building up to a piano,/electric guitar/drum crescendo before Regina cuts in with her sweet voice. Better is a song of assurance and compassion, with Regina asking, "If I kiss you where it hurts, will you feel better?". Don't we all need some help from other now and then in lifting up our spirits? Life can get to be such a grind sometimes. When I hear Better, not only do I feel comforted, but I also feel more conducive toward comforting others with problems...although I may not exactly go down Regina's proposed pathway toward accomplishing that.
Better is one of those songs that has the perfect feel of a Top Ten mainstream hit, but as usual broadcast radio has virtually ignored it. For me the main thing is that I have it on my MP3, which I listen to while running and at work. It helped me get through some grueling, hot summer runs, adding a little "pep in my step" (as my wife Melissa would say). So who needs 5-Hour Energy? I have something Better!
Speaking of radio, I have heard Regina Spektor from time to time on "Starbucks Radio" and at Publix grocery. So the rest of the world isn't entirely devoid of musical taste!
Better is from Regina Spektor's 2006 album Begin to Hope. As I had stated a few days ago, this personal countdown of my favorites of 2010 is based on songs I liked in 2010, regardless when they were released.
This song has a most spectacular beginning, building up to a piano,/electric guitar/drum crescendo before Regina cuts in with her sweet voice. Better is a song of assurance and compassion, with Regina asking, "If I kiss you where it hurts, will you feel better?". Don't we all need some help from other now and then in lifting up our spirits? Life can get to be such a grind sometimes. When I hear Better, not only do I feel comforted, but I also feel more conducive toward comforting others with problems...although I may not exactly go down Regina's proposed pathway toward accomplishing that.
Better is one of those songs that has the perfect feel of a Top Ten mainstream hit, but as usual broadcast radio has virtually ignored it. For me the main thing is that I have it on my MP3, which I listen to while running and at work. It helped me get through some grueling, hot summer runs, adding a little "pep in my step" (as my wife Melissa would say). So who needs 5-Hour Energy? I have something Better!
Speaking of radio, I have heard Regina Spektor from time to time on "Starbucks Radio" and at Publix grocery. So the rest of the world isn't entirely devoid of musical taste!
Better is from Regina Spektor's 2006 album Begin to Hope. As I had stated a few days ago, this personal countdown of my favorites of 2010 is based on songs I liked in 2010, regardless when they were released.
Friday, January 7, 2011
House's Constitution Reading
Yesterday I was watching the newly-convened US House of Representatives, now under a Republican majority, on C-Span. Featured was a reading of the United States Constitution, to be split up in a bipartisan fashion among high-ranking members. But before the reading could commence, a few inquiries were raised on the Democratic side regarding which version of the Constitution was to be read.
I didn't know there were different versions of the Constitution, did you? Apparently, there are some parts of the original document that have in subsequent years been rendered "null and void" by amendments. The most notable are the stipulations as to how slave-holding states were to be allotted representatives, with the infamous "three fifths of a man" as the stated standard for counting slaves. Obviously, those who practically worship the Constitution as almost a religious document and plan to use it in the upcoming session to further their own political agenda did not want those embarrassing sections read, so they had it "white"-washed, so to speak. Only one problem with that, as I see it.
The body of the Constitution is still there, with nothing deleted (not even those sections sanctioning slavery). The sections superseded by amendments (most notably the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th) are still there and would be restored should those amendments ever be repealed. You can't erase the core body of the Constitution, but you can repeal amendments. I say this because there is a move afoot to change the 14th Amendment, which was originally intended to give black former slaves citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law. One of this amendment's clauses bestows American citizenship on anyone born on US soil, and many undocumented immigrants in recent years have gained such citizenship for their children as they were born in this country. Legislators with a hard-line approach to the immigration issue, like South Carolina's Lindsey Graham (who has regrettably backtracked on his previous commitment to a more reasonable and comprehensive immigration reform policy), want the 14th Amendment modified or least reinterpreted to exclude these children from citizenship.
So the amendments don't automatically supersede the main body of the Constitution. Instead, it is how the courts (and the legislators and presidents who place them in their positions) who determine how the amendments are interpreted. It is ironic that the 14th Amendment seems to currently be up for attack since beginning soon after its enactment in 1868, a very anti-civil-rights and pro-corporate Supreme Court for decades refused to apply it to protect blacks from discrimination and instead abused it to give corporations special legal status as "persons".
It was legitimate for lawmakers to raise an issue over the Constitution's reading yesterday. They weren't trying to stop the document from being read, but rather were trying to educate the public about its true nature and how subject it is to different interpretations, and even at times abuse.
I didn't know there were different versions of the Constitution, did you? Apparently, there are some parts of the original document that have in subsequent years been rendered "null and void" by amendments. The most notable are the stipulations as to how slave-holding states were to be allotted representatives, with the infamous "three fifths of a man" as the stated standard for counting slaves. Obviously, those who practically worship the Constitution as almost a religious document and plan to use it in the upcoming session to further their own political agenda did not want those embarrassing sections read, so they had it "white"-washed, so to speak. Only one problem with that, as I see it.
The body of the Constitution is still there, with nothing deleted (not even those sections sanctioning slavery). The sections superseded by amendments (most notably the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th) are still there and would be restored should those amendments ever be repealed. You can't erase the core body of the Constitution, but you can repeal amendments. I say this because there is a move afoot to change the 14th Amendment, which was originally intended to give black former slaves citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law. One of this amendment's clauses bestows American citizenship on anyone born on US soil, and many undocumented immigrants in recent years have gained such citizenship for their children as they were born in this country. Legislators with a hard-line approach to the immigration issue, like South Carolina's Lindsey Graham (who has regrettably backtracked on his previous commitment to a more reasonable and comprehensive immigration reform policy), want the 14th Amendment modified or least reinterpreted to exclude these children from citizenship.
So the amendments don't automatically supersede the main body of the Constitution. Instead, it is how the courts (and the legislators and presidents who place them in their positions) who determine how the amendments are interpreted. It is ironic that the 14th Amendment seems to currently be up for attack since beginning soon after its enactment in 1868, a very anti-civil-rights and pro-corporate Supreme Court for decades refused to apply it to protect blacks from discrimination and instead abused it to give corporations special legal status as "persons".
It was legitimate for lawmakers to raise an issue over the Constitution's reading yesterday. They weren't trying to stop the document from being read, but rather were trying to educate the public about its true nature and how subject it is to different interpretations, and even at times abuse.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
My Favorite Songs of 2010: #13
#13: Arnika by Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens, whose existence I was completely unaware of before February 2009, has released a flurry of material over the past year after a hiatus of three years between releases. For some artists this type of gap isn't that big of a deal; for Stevens, who gained a reputation as a prolific, creative musician, it was causing a bit of concern among his fans.
Late 2009 saw the release of a CD/DVD package of his completely instrumental The BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway), a venture into a more classical genre. Then this past fall, within a span of a few weeks, he suddenly announced the release of first an EP, All Delighted People, and then a full LP, The Age of Adz.
I procured all three releases and feel pretty good about them. With The BQE I saw the difficulty about trying to relate a symphonic work to an old, dirty, and overcongested highway, so I instead just decided to appreciate the music for its own value. It fits along with other similar works from other artists over the ages. All Delighted People and The Age of Adz, though, represent a substantive change with Stevens from his previous three vocal albums, which dealt with states (namely Michigan and Illinois) as themes and as points of departure for folk, autobiographical and disguised spiritual songs. Stevens is no longer "doing the states". These two most recent releases are, in my opinion, quite emotionally unbalanced, seeming to reflect the efforts of an artist who has undergone a good amount of pain in his life over the last couple of years.
It's tough to have a neurological condition that can't seem to be specifically diagnosed; about fourteen years ago I suddenly developed numbness over various parts of my body without a definitive diagnosis, and it was troublesome to me. Stevens apparently came down with something more debilitating but still equally unidentifiable. Add to that other personal issues and you have someone with a lot of grief to pour out. And that seems to be what he did on All Delighted People and The Age of Adz.
I generally don't like the songs of Sufjan Stevens' latest releases as much as the ones he put out earlier. He sounds over-the-edge with his emotions, and I'm not too keen on repeatedly hearing his voice breaking as if he is about to haul off and have a major crying fit. But in the middle of this, on his less-publicized EP All Delighted People, is a beautiful song: Arnika.
Arnika epitomizes anguish and expresses the sentiments of someone who feels that, although chronologically still young, he is already "tired of life". The music hearkens back to songs like Pittsfield (from The Avalanche) and Romanus (from Greetings from Michigan). Personally, I think Stevens would have been better off just expressing his problems through this song and then trying to pick things up a bit with the others. Instead, personal grief pervades both albums (with occasional disguised Christian-themed tracks such as Vesuvius and Djohariah).
Arnika, although sad, has stuck with me as being one of the classic (albeit almost completely unknown) Sufjan Stevens songs. I like this artist and appreciate his efforts. I'm looking forward to his future works with interest and anticipation.
Oh, and I hope he's feeling better now!
Sufjan Stevens, whose existence I was completely unaware of before February 2009, has released a flurry of material over the past year after a hiatus of three years between releases. For some artists this type of gap isn't that big of a deal; for Stevens, who gained a reputation as a prolific, creative musician, it was causing a bit of concern among his fans.
Late 2009 saw the release of a CD/DVD package of his completely instrumental The BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway), a venture into a more classical genre. Then this past fall, within a span of a few weeks, he suddenly announced the release of first an EP, All Delighted People, and then a full LP, The Age of Adz.
I procured all three releases and feel pretty good about them. With The BQE I saw the difficulty about trying to relate a symphonic work to an old, dirty, and overcongested highway, so I instead just decided to appreciate the music for its own value. It fits along with other similar works from other artists over the ages. All Delighted People and The Age of Adz, though, represent a substantive change with Stevens from his previous three vocal albums, which dealt with states (namely Michigan and Illinois) as themes and as points of departure for folk, autobiographical and disguised spiritual songs. Stevens is no longer "doing the states". These two most recent releases are, in my opinion, quite emotionally unbalanced, seeming to reflect the efforts of an artist who has undergone a good amount of pain in his life over the last couple of years.
It's tough to have a neurological condition that can't seem to be specifically diagnosed; about fourteen years ago I suddenly developed numbness over various parts of my body without a definitive diagnosis, and it was troublesome to me. Stevens apparently came down with something more debilitating but still equally unidentifiable. Add to that other personal issues and you have someone with a lot of grief to pour out. And that seems to be what he did on All Delighted People and The Age of Adz.
I generally don't like the songs of Sufjan Stevens' latest releases as much as the ones he put out earlier. He sounds over-the-edge with his emotions, and I'm not too keen on repeatedly hearing his voice breaking as if he is about to haul off and have a major crying fit. But in the middle of this, on his less-publicized EP All Delighted People, is a beautiful song: Arnika.
Arnika epitomizes anguish and expresses the sentiments of someone who feels that, although chronologically still young, he is already "tired of life". The music hearkens back to songs like Pittsfield (from The Avalanche) and Romanus (from Greetings from Michigan). Personally, I think Stevens would have been better off just expressing his problems through this song and then trying to pick things up a bit with the others. Instead, personal grief pervades both albums (with occasional disguised Christian-themed tracks such as Vesuvius and Djohariah).
Arnika, although sad, has stuck with me as being one of the classic (albeit almost completely unknown) Sufjan Stevens songs. I like this artist and appreciate his efforts. I'm looking forward to his future works with interest and anticipation.
Oh, and I hope he's feeling better now!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My Running Lately
My running has picked up since the start of the new year. On Sunday I ran 13.77 miles and yesterday I covered 16.12 miles. Yesterday's run was encouraging in that I did well despite the humidity and had plenty of energy still left at the end. It was time constraints that kept me from seeing how far I could go.
The last two "long" runs I've done (Christmas' 20.68 and yesterday's 16.12) were originally planned to be around 10-13 miles each. But I allowed myself at various points of each run to extend the course here and there according to how I felt at the time. I feel that this is good mental training for the upcoming marathon I plan to enter. My body is probably already as prepared as it will be to run the marathon. Now it's up to me to train my mind to withstand the fatigue, aches, and "wall" that hits during those long runs when 20 miles is passed.
I've also extended my course to go far west of where I live. By doing so, I am committing myself to a long run, placing pressure on my mind to help get me through on often a tough day.
The last two "long" runs I've done (Christmas' 20.68 and yesterday's 16.12) were originally planned to be around 10-13 miles each. But I allowed myself at various points of each run to extend the course here and there according to how I felt at the time. I feel that this is good mental training for the upcoming marathon I plan to enter. My body is probably already as prepared as it will be to run the marathon. Now it's up to me to train my mind to withstand the fatigue, aches, and "wall" that hits during those long runs when 20 miles is passed.
I've also extended my course to go far west of where I live. By doing so, I am committing myself to a long run, placing pressure on my mind to help get me through on often a tough day.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
Today's editorial in the Gainesville Sun discusses Florida's new Tea Party Republican governor, Rick Scott. Having opposed him in the campaign (as I also did), the article's writer naturally points out a number of questionable items on the Governor-Elect's agenda.
For example, it is noted that Scott wants to shrink government. But the editorial writer counters that "Florida already has the leanest state workforce in America." The incoming governor wants to cut taxes in the face of unprecedented impending shortfalls in revenue. And his pro-school voucher stance may violate the state's constitution in two areas.
After bringing forth all of the preceding valid points (among others), the editorial then questions whether Scott's business-model approach to state government will help or hurt Florida in the years to come.
All fine for an editorial, right? But then the writer incredibly states, "In any case, today is not a day to second-guess our new governor but to wish him well at the beginning of a new term that is sure to bring with it a steep learning curve."
What? WHAT?? If today isn't the day for second-guessing, then what do you call what you're doing for most of the editorial? To top off the hypocrisy, the writer closes the editorial with the statement, "Campaign promises are a dime a dozen, but the damages done by decisions based soled on the immediate fiscal and political bottom-line can be incalculable."
I actually tend to agree with all of the criticisms that the editorial makes of Rick Scott and his agenda. But it is disingenuous to me, in the midst of this criticism, to insert a high-and-holy pronouncement (apparently directed for the reader to follow) against "second-guessing".
For example, it is noted that Scott wants to shrink government. But the editorial writer counters that "Florida already has the leanest state workforce in America." The incoming governor wants to cut taxes in the face of unprecedented impending shortfalls in revenue. And his pro-school voucher stance may violate the state's constitution in two areas.
After bringing forth all of the preceding valid points (among others), the editorial then questions whether Scott's business-model approach to state government will help or hurt Florida in the years to come.
All fine for an editorial, right? But then the writer incredibly states, "In any case, today is not a day to second-guess our new governor but to wish him well at the beginning of a new term that is sure to bring with it a steep learning curve."
What? WHAT?? If today isn't the day for second-guessing, then what do you call what you're doing for most of the editorial? To top off the hypocrisy, the writer closes the editorial with the statement, "Campaign promises are a dime a dozen, but the damages done by decisions based soled on the immediate fiscal and political bottom-line can be incalculable."
I actually tend to agree with all of the criticisms that the editorial makes of Rick Scott and his agenda. But it is disingenuous to me, in the midst of this criticism, to insert a high-and-holy pronouncement (apparently directed for the reader to follow) against "second-guessing".
Monday, January 3, 2011
My Favorite Songs of 2010: #14
#14: I'm a Pilot by Fanfarlo
Fanfarlo is a Swedish/British indie band founded, according to Wikipedia, in 2006. They have had only one album, Reservoir, which came out in 2009. The first track, I'm a Pilot, turns out to be the best on it, as far as I'm concerned. The entire album is quite listenable and I am looking forward to more music from them.
I'm not quite sure what the composer of I'm a Pilot meant with the "pilot" theme, but as I listen to this song I get the message, intended or not, that being a pilot means being in charge of one's own destiny and responsible for one's own life and decisions. It's important for me to feel that way about my life; the temptation is to avoid personal responsibility and treat myself as the product of others' actions. And why not? Many of the people I run across continually spin this type of passive personal narrative. For me, I opt for a proactive view of life, where I can steer my destiny like a pilot steers a plane or boat.
I never heard anything by Fanfarlo on broadcast radio; it was AOL Radio's indie channel that introduced me to them. I remember the eclectic nature of radio music in my youth (Dean Martin and Ray Charles played alongside the Beatles) and think that I'm a Pilot would have mixed in quite well with the playlist back then. How ironic that I can now only get access to it via a highly-specialized web-radio channel!
Fanfarlo is a Swedish/British indie band founded, according to Wikipedia, in 2006. They have had only one album, Reservoir, which came out in 2009. The first track, I'm a Pilot, turns out to be the best on it, as far as I'm concerned. The entire album is quite listenable and I am looking forward to more music from them.
I'm not quite sure what the composer of I'm a Pilot meant with the "pilot" theme, but as I listen to this song I get the message, intended or not, that being a pilot means being in charge of one's own destiny and responsible for one's own life and decisions. It's important for me to feel that way about my life; the temptation is to avoid personal responsibility and treat myself as the product of others' actions. And why not? Many of the people I run across continually spin this type of passive personal narrative. For me, I opt for a proactive view of life, where I can steer my destiny like a pilot steers a plane or boat.
I never heard anything by Fanfarlo on broadcast radio; it was AOL Radio's indie channel that introduced me to them. I remember the eclectic nature of radio music in my youth (Dean Martin and Ray Charles played alongside the Beatles) and think that I'm a Pilot would have mixed in quite well with the playlist back then. How ironic that I can now only get access to it via a highly-specialized web-radio channel!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Personal Top 15 Songs of 2010: #15
I thought I would try something different this year and go through my top fifteen favorite songs of the past year, one at a time, from #15 to #1.
A few of words of "warning" here: if you're not into Regina Specktor or Radiohead, this list probably won't carry much meaning for you as they are responsible for the overwhelming number of songs on it. Also, these are MY top favorite songs of 2010: almost all of them actually came out in previous years (although I at least managed to keep them within this century). Finally, the "countdown" may be spread out on this blog with other articles interspersed. Eventually, I'll get to Number One, though (hopefully before 2011 is over).
So here goes...
#15: Folding Chair by Regina Spektor
This is such a positive, sweet little song that listening to it forces me to smile regardless how I happen to be feeling at the time. Regina is sitting on the beach and invites you, the listener, to open up your folding chair next to her. Having spent much of my leisure time on the beach over the years, this resonates with me considerably. There's something distinctively peaceful about sitting (or standing) facing the ocean as the waves repeatedly crash down and the water ebbs and flows from the sand on the shore. Intellectually, I don't know why this is so: for me, a land-dweller, the sea is really a vast impassable desert boundary and by all stretches of the imagination should be seen a stark barrier. Instead, though, it seems like "freedom" somehow. Is there some deeply hidden "fish" encoding within my genes evoking this irrational response? Who knows, but Folding Chair totally captures the essence of just unwinding on the beach, and in the company of a sweet, compelling personality (with a terrific voice).
Folding Chair is from Regina Spektor's 2009 album Far.
A few of words of "warning" here: if you're not into Regina Specktor or Radiohead, this list probably won't carry much meaning for you as they are responsible for the overwhelming number of songs on it. Also, these are MY top favorite songs of 2010: almost all of them actually came out in previous years (although I at least managed to keep them within this century). Finally, the "countdown" may be spread out on this blog with other articles interspersed. Eventually, I'll get to Number One, though (hopefully before 2011 is over).
So here goes...
#15: Folding Chair by Regina Spektor
This is such a positive, sweet little song that listening to it forces me to smile regardless how I happen to be feeling at the time. Regina is sitting on the beach and invites you, the listener, to open up your folding chair next to her. Having spent much of my leisure time on the beach over the years, this resonates with me considerably. There's something distinctively peaceful about sitting (or standing) facing the ocean as the waves repeatedly crash down and the water ebbs and flows from the sand on the shore. Intellectually, I don't know why this is so: for me, a land-dweller, the sea is really a vast impassable desert boundary and by all stretches of the imagination should be seen a stark barrier. Instead, though, it seems like "freedom" somehow. Is there some deeply hidden "fish" encoding within my genes evoking this irrational response? Who knows, but Folding Chair totally captures the essence of just unwinding on the beach, and in the company of a sweet, compelling personality (with a terrific voice).
Folding Chair is from Regina Spektor's 2009 album Far.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year
I am entering the new year with a lot of optimism about my life and those close to me. I wouldn't exactly say that I have made up New Year's resolutions for myself; they are more like long-term goals for self-improvement, as well as for attaining certain milestones over the course of the year. So the concept of "breaking resolutions" early in January doesn't apply to me.
"A man's got to know his own limitations" was the mantra of Clint Eastwood's tough-cop character Harry Callahan in the movie Magnum Force. And when setting goals for myself, I need to be realistic regarding my own limitations. After all, I wasn't born yesterday and am passing through my mid-fifties. I have all kinds of constraints on my life, and many of them deal with my valuable role in society and family as a responsible, mature, and caring adult. It is within these recognized boundaries that I want to make improvements.
I also see good things happening around me in the world. The economy seems to be picking up and there is a hope (albeit slight) that the government will resume functioning as a collaborative effort among its members for the public good. But maybe I'm just fantasizing here. I am one of those poor fools who actually believes that politicians should compromise and be pragmatic. Oh well, maybe on SOME issues that will happen. After all, a man's got to know his [politicians'] limitations!
"A man's got to know his own limitations" was the mantra of Clint Eastwood's tough-cop character Harry Callahan in the movie Magnum Force. And when setting goals for myself, I need to be realistic regarding my own limitations. After all, I wasn't born yesterday and am passing through my mid-fifties. I have all kinds of constraints on my life, and many of them deal with my valuable role in society and family as a responsible, mature, and caring adult. It is within these recognized boundaries that I want to make improvements.
I also see good things happening around me in the world. The economy seems to be picking up and there is a hope (albeit slight) that the government will resume functioning as a collaborative effort among its members for the public good. But maybe I'm just fantasizing here. I am one of those poor fools who actually believes that politicians should compromise and be pragmatic. Oh well, maybe on SOME issues that will happen. After all, a man's got to know his [politicians'] limitations!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Every Seat Taken
This morning I slept in, instead of running as I had planned. Er... actually, I had planned to run yesterday, but well, I just didn't feel like it. But you know, I probably needed the sleep anyway. But having slept and eventually woken up late in the morning on a work day (reporting time 2:30 pm), I also missed out on my early morning Starbucks session, where I tend to focus my brain on what I want to do during the day (and even occasionally compose a blog article). That opportunity having been shot to hell along with another missed running day, I decided to try to salvage something out of my dwindling pre-work freedom. I dragged myself around the house in a half-stupor eventually cleaning, dressing, and finally getting the hell out of the house. My goal: sit in a Starbucks and concentrate my thoughts on my day and what I had left to salvage out of it. I went to the closest Starbucks, at the Hunters Crossing shopping center: every seat was taken, and I quickly walked back out. Then to my old dependable Magnolia Parke Starbucks, where, ditto. Then I drove past the 441/16th Avenue Starbucks: "drove past" since every parking slot was taken. Down to the Archer Road Starbucks and the neighboring Panera's (both packed to the hilt). Then it dawned on me: just go to McDonald's! The seats were plentiful and the coffee was cheaper and better tasting!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Ran On Christmas Anyway, Covered 20.68 Miles
You could probably tell by the tone of yesterday's article that I had wanted to go running and was disappointed at the outside haze. But by early afternoon, it turned out that the haze had dissipated and, although the temperature had risen to 70, I decided to go out on a run. I initially decided to run just for continuity's sake, not trying to cover any appreciable distance. But as I ran, I decided at each step to cover each section of my personally-designed marathon course. I was feeling pretty good for most of the run, and after 13 miles was sore but still had plenty of energy and muscle coordination. The sky was overcast for almost the entire run, and this contributed to a premature nightfall as I found my way back into my home subdivision. I was pretty tired by then, but already had the repeated experience of "gutting it out" during previous runs and thought that I had a chance to complete a full-length marathon (26.2 miles) on this run. I also realized that, to do this, I would be finishing under very dark, night conditions. I was still on target with this goal until around the 19-mile mark, when I "ran" into a figurative wall: my energy level plummeted and I suddenly felt like a feeble old man, with my feet hitting the pavement hard instead of springing with elasticity and balance. At that point I realized that going another 7 miles just wouldn't happen today, and I valiantly struggled to finish my course, albeit curtailed a bit at the end. My final distance was 20.68 miles, a personal record length, with a time of 3:23:56.
Ten minutes after I hobbled back into my house around 5:40, the rain began to fall and didn't let up until late at night. So I was spared a thorough soaking, which would have happened had I run any further. Still, my recovery from this run was pretty rough. I had made the mistake of quickly downing a couple of 20-oz. bottles of G2 (Gatorade "lite") after the run, consequently inducing severe abdominal cramping and pain for about a half-hour. My legs were also very sore and ached badly for a while. It wasn't until after midnight when I finally began to feel a sense of relaxation. Yes, the recovery was rather brutal; the run itself was a piece of cake in comparison. But here I am the next morning, sitting here and feeling good in my good old dependable Magnolia Parke Starbucks, thinking about when I'll once again set out to conquer a personal distance record!
I look back on yesterday's run and feel that I had made some substantial progress with my endurance training. It is within that painful struggle at the end, which is actually more mental than physical, that I grow and approach eventual marathon-level capability. It had been a while since I had pushed myself this far, but it was how I had successfully prepared myself to run the half-marathon at the beginning of this year. I'm taking today off from running, for recovery's sake. I wonder how I will run on Monday!
Ten minutes after I hobbled back into my house around 5:40, the rain began to fall and didn't let up until late at night. So I was spared a thorough soaking, which would have happened had I run any further. Still, my recovery from this run was pretty rough. I had made the mistake of quickly downing a couple of 20-oz. bottles of G2 (Gatorade "lite") after the run, consequently inducing severe abdominal cramping and pain for about a half-hour. My legs were also very sore and ached badly for a while. It wasn't until after midnight when I finally began to feel a sense of relaxation. Yes, the recovery was rather brutal; the run itself was a piece of cake in comparison. But here I am the next morning, sitting here and feeling good in my good old dependable Magnolia Parke Starbucks, thinking about when I'll once again set out to conquer a personal distance record!
I look back on yesterday's run and feel that I had made some substantial progress with my endurance training. It is within that painful struggle at the end, which is actually more mental than physical, that I grow and approach eventual marathon-level capability. It had been a while since I had pushed myself this far, but it was how I had successfully prepared myself to run the half-marathon at the beginning of this year. I'm taking today off from running, for recovery's sake. I wonder how I will run on Monday!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas Haze Fits the Occasion For Me
Today I stepped out of my front door, to go out on another long run as planned, when I took a whiff of the air: smoky haze. Apparently, the winds shifted and were blowing this stinking haze through Gainesville from a woods fire somewhere in the vicinity. No, I wouldn't run outside in these conditions (although I saw others running). Instead, I'll wait until tomorrow and see what the weather brings. I'd rather run under just about any conditions other than smoke. I mean, if I wanted to poison myself this way, I could just go down to the store, buy a carton of cigarettes, and chain smoke for a couple of hours!
Yes, by the way, it's Christmas today. I am frankly not a fan of Christmas; in fact, I actually may detest it to an extent. For someone like myself, who tries to live an ordered life, this holiday "season" throws everything around me in turmoil, not the least of which is the whipping up of unbridled greed among the population, along with the stress of an imposed deadline on supplying the "goods" for the "greedies". Yuck. Thankfully, I have some gracious, mature intimates in my life who have helped to shield me from this crap. But there is no completely avoiding it.
And then there is this pretense of "respecting" the holiday by closing practically every business in town, starting in the evening on Christmas Eve and going through the following day. But wait, come Christmas Day + One, the greed comes blowing back with a vengeance (post-Christmas sales). Whoopee, I can hardly wait.
Still, there is still a smidgen of rationality remaining as my favorite Starbucks happens to be open this Christmas morning (where and when I am writing this instead of choking on the haze outside). Now that is at least something to help my life get back in order!
Yes, by the way, it's Christmas today. I am frankly not a fan of Christmas; in fact, I actually may detest it to an extent. For someone like myself, who tries to live an ordered life, this holiday "season" throws everything around me in turmoil, not the least of which is the whipping up of unbridled greed among the population, along with the stress of an imposed deadline on supplying the "goods" for the "greedies". Yuck. Thankfully, I have some gracious, mature intimates in my life who have helped to shield me from this crap. But there is no completely avoiding it.
And then there is this pretense of "respecting" the holiday by closing practically every business in town, starting in the evening on Christmas Eve and going through the following day. But wait, come Christmas Day + One, the greed comes blowing back with a vengeance (post-Christmas sales). Whoopee, I can hardly wait.
Still, there is still a smidgen of rationality remaining as my favorite Starbucks happens to be open this Christmas morning (where and when I am writing this instead of choking on the haze outside). Now that is at least something to help my life get back in order!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Weather Forecast Disconnect
I'm a little bit curious about the disconnect between my newspaper (Gainesville Sun) weather forecast and that on my cable TV weather station. On TV it says that tomorrow's weather will bring partly cloudy skies and just a slight possibility of rain. Then on Sunday there will be a lot of rain, with the temperatures staying in the forties all day. But according to the paper, it will rain tomorrow in the afternoon, intensifying in the evening. By Sunday, it will clear up (in this alternate universe).
So which will it be on Christmas day tomorrow? Since I'm planning on a long outdoors run, it matters to me a little more than usual. Of course, it might actually turn out better if it rained a little during my run. After all, in the marathons I plan to run during the next two months, there is no telling what the weather will be like then and it might be helpful to get in a little "rain-running" experience. I remember seeing the photos of last year's Knoxville, Tennessee Marathon with all of the rain-soaked runners, so although we are technically in the "dry" season here in northern Florida, rain still happens!
What kills me is that on some weather sites they have something called a "100 Day Outlook". And they can't even get it right within 24 hours! Shoot, why don't I just buy the Farmer's Almanac and consult it instead?!
So which will it be on Christmas day tomorrow? Since I'm planning on a long outdoors run, it matters to me a little more than usual. Of course, it might actually turn out better if it rained a little during my run. After all, in the marathons I plan to run during the next two months, there is no telling what the weather will be like then and it might be helpful to get in a little "rain-running" experience. I remember seeing the photos of last year's Knoxville, Tennessee Marathon with all of the rain-soaked runners, so although we are technically in the "dry" season here in northern Florida, rain still happens!
What kills me is that on some weather sites they have something called a "100 Day Outlook". And they can't even get it right within 24 hours! Shoot, why don't I just buy the Farmer's Almanac and consult it instead?!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Back to Long Runs
Earlier today I once again ran a "long" run (15 miles or longer): 16.18 miles to be exact. I had decided to skip one more day to further my recovery from my sinusitis, and then decided to see how far I could go. Alas, due to the chronic restraints of time in my life, that wasn't entirely possible, but I was able to squeeze in a good run anyway. My time was 2:26:32.
The next logical opportunity for a long run should be two days from now on Christmas (Saturday). I wouldn't have any time restraints on my run, either. But the weather station I have been watching is predicting a lot of rain and stormy weather that day. But...maybe this could be a fun adventure, running in a storm. After all, I remember that beach run earlier this year in a raging lightning storm!
The next logical opportunity for a long run should be two days from now on Christmas (Saturday). I wouldn't have any time restraints on my run, either. But the weather station I have been watching is predicting a lot of rain and stormy weather that day. But...maybe this could be a fun adventure, running in a storm. After all, I remember that beach run earlier this year in a raging lightning storm!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Back to Running
I am looking forward in the next few weeks to my special adventure in running: training up to marathon distance (26.2 miles) and then participating in at least two races: the Ocala Marathon on January 23 and the Gainesville Five Points Marathon on February 20. Monday I ran 7.18 miles as I recovered from my sinus infection after taking a few days off from running. Tomorrow I will see if I can't get the distance back up to around 14 miles. And then, bit by bit I will try to attain the marathon distance during one of my training runs.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Busy As Usual At Work in December
December is definitely by far the busiest month of the year for me, a postal worker. And even more so, since I work in the section that processes parcels. I have been working my off days and even overtime on top of that as the volume of mail has skyrocketed. Today was possibly the peak volume day. The company man within me says, "Hurray, keep going with the USPS, we deliver, go team go!" But the rest of me emphatically says, "Bah humbug!"
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Senate Repeals Don't Ask Don't Tell
One of the unexpected, albeit probably temporary, benefits of the recent bipartisan agreement between the President and the Republican side of the congressional aisle regarding tax cuts and unemployment compensation may have come with yesterday's Senate vote to repeal the onerous "don't ask don't tell" policy in the U.S. military. This policy, in effect since the Clinton administration in the '90's, has had the effect of persecuting gays by denying them their right to reveal their own sexual orientation while in service to the country. I was surprised that several Republican senators crossed over to support the repeal, especially Nevada's John Ensign, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, and North Carolina's Richard Burr. Cool. I wonder whether, after Murkowski's encounter with the reactionary Tea Party during her recent Senate reelection campaign, she won't "go rogue" on occasions against her own party. Not that the Republicans are always wrong: I am just tired of this party-line block voting and would like for our elected representatives in government to vote according to their own personal and professional convictions and not just the way their hack party leaders order them to.
On the down side, I am dismayed to observe the continuing slide into a reactionary worldview by John McCain, who led the opposition to the repeal. McCain, for whom I initially was delighted in 2008 when he won the GOP nomination for president, used to really be a maverick at times against his own party's often overly conservative stances on social issues. Now he seems like a very bitter, angry old man every time I see him get up on the Senate floor to talk.
The repeal of "don't ask don't tell" was important, but still is only one step toward gays finally being accorded the basic human rights that straights enjoy in our society. In other areas, such as gay marriage, the struggle for progress goes on. Still, this vote was something to give me some hope for the future.
On the down side, I am dismayed to observe the continuing slide into a reactionary worldview by John McCain, who led the opposition to the repeal. McCain, for whom I initially was delighted in 2008 when he won the GOP nomination for president, used to really be a maverick at times against his own party's often overly conservative stances on social issues. Now he seems like a very bitter, angry old man every time I see him get up on the Senate floor to talk.
The repeal of "don't ask don't tell" was important, but still is only one step toward gays finally being accorded the basic human rights that straights enjoy in our society. In other areas, such as gay marriage, the struggle for progress goes on. Still, this vote was something to give me some hope for the future.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Under the Weather, But Recovering
For the past three days, I have been suffering from a sinus infection. While running 14 miles on Wednesday, I noticed aches that normally didn't exist. Later that day, I could sense the process of inflammation in various parts of my body as well as headache, stuffed sinuses, and sore throat. I went to my nearest urgent care center and was able to obtain a prescription for an antibiotic, which I have been faithfully taking and am happy to report that I am recuperating (gradually).
I remember a time about thirty years ago when I suffered an infection on one of my fingers and consequently endured a flu-like malaise for a couple of weeks before I finally had the precipitating problem taken care of. It's important, at the first sign of infection, to see a doctor and get it treated before it spreads. Also, the inflammation that is caused by the body's response to the infection can present its own hazards. So I have been laying off the running or any other form of strenuous exercise until this sinus infection clears up.
I have also read that running in an arid environment, which presents itself more often here in northern Florida during the wintertime, can dry up the sinuses and make sinus infections more likely. So I'll have to keep that in mind as well, although the running continues! Maybe a nice, long, hot, steamy shower after a workout would fix that problem!
One of the problems I experienced with sinus infections has been their insidious nature. Sinusitis with me first manifests itself as something resembling a light cold, but after a few days the cold doesn't subside, a threshold is passed, and the symptoms become full-blown. I need to take greater care in the future to pay attention to the warning signs my body is giving me that a sinus infection is beginning to occur.
I remember a time about thirty years ago when I suffered an infection on one of my fingers and consequently endured a flu-like malaise for a couple of weeks before I finally had the precipitating problem taken care of. It's important, at the first sign of infection, to see a doctor and get it treated before it spreads. Also, the inflammation that is caused by the body's response to the infection can present its own hazards. So I have been laying off the running or any other form of strenuous exercise until this sinus infection clears up.
I have also read that running in an arid environment, which presents itself more often here in northern Florida during the wintertime, can dry up the sinuses and make sinus infections more likely. So I'll have to keep that in mind as well, although the running continues! Maybe a nice, long, hot, steamy shower after a workout would fix that problem!
One of the problems I experienced with sinus infections has been their insidious nature. Sinusitis with me first manifests itself as something resembling a light cold, but after a few days the cold doesn't subside, a threshold is passed, and the symptoms become full-blown. I need to take greater care in the future to pay attention to the warning signs my body is giving me that a sinus infection is beginning to occur.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Muschamp Replaces Meyer As UF Coach
Will Muschamp has been hired to be the new University of Florida head football coach, replacing retiring two-time national champion coach Urban Meyer. Thirty-nine year old Muschamp, although without experience as a head coach, does have an extensive resume as an assistant coach, and with some great teams (like LSU and Texas). Hopefully, Gator fans will show some patience with him as he establishes himself in his new position and works to build a formidable, winning team.
But it is not considered to be a very wise thing to try to fill in the shoes of a legend. After Steve Spurrier left UF to coach professional football, his replacement, Ron Zook, had difficulty gaining acceptance from the Florida faithful. Muschamp may experience some similar skepticism, although the rather disappointing last season (7-5) that Meyer coached should give him a break, at least as far as expectations for next year are concerned. I just hope that he turns out to be a coach who runs a clean program and who doesn't take himself too seriously (as Meyer did).
After all, football is a game, a form of entertainment. It's good to be rooting for a winner, but having a winner to root for means more when the fan has the experience sometimes of rooting for a loser!
But it is not considered to be a very wise thing to try to fill in the shoes of a legend. After Steve Spurrier left UF to coach professional football, his replacement, Ron Zook, had difficulty gaining acceptance from the Florida faithful. Muschamp may experience some similar skepticism, although the rather disappointing last season (7-5) that Meyer coached should give him a break, at least as far as expectations for next year are concerned. I just hope that he turns out to be a coach who runs a clean program and who doesn't take himself too seriously (as Meyer did).
After all, football is a game, a form of entertainment. It's good to be rooting for a winner, but having a winner to root for means more when the fan has the experience sometimes of rooting for a loser!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Marathon Race Outlook (For Me)
I am looking at my marathon calendar to see what's ahead. It appears highly unlikely that I will be participating in the Jacksonville Bank Marathon this Sunday morning unless my boss unexpectedly offers me Saturday off at the height of the heavy Christmas season where I work. Besides, the weather forecasts indicate rain for that day. The Florida Marathon in Clermont (a few miles west of Orlando), scheduled for January 1, has been canceled. I had thought about entering it as my first marathon, but decided against it because of the very hilly, challenging terrain. I need to focus first on just covering the 26.2 miles! But that decision is moot, anyway, since that race has been wiped off the slate.
The Disney World Marathon on January 9 was something I had been considering, but I read some accounts of participants in previous years and decided against it. I don't see the point in trying to run in a group of 24,000 runners, and the convoluted way in which Disney World herded the participants around in the wee hours of the morning before the race didn't seem very appealing, either. So what's left with marathons around where I live?
On January 23, the Ocala Marathon will be held, about forty miles from Gainesville. This event will be easy to travel to and from. If I am in shape, I will run in it. On February 20, LifeSouth will once again stage its Five Points of Life Marathon in Gainesville. Last year I ran the half-marathon; this year it will be the full distance.
If all works out well for me with the Ocala Marathon (meaning that (1) I complete it and (2) I make a complete recovery) I may apply for some time off in early March to compete in the Snickers Marathon in Albany, Georgia.
And then the marathon season once again goes northward. Seeing that I have a job, a budget, and other obligations, I am not in a position to go flying willy-nilly around the country running various marathon events. But it would be cool, once I have the experience of actually completing a marathon, to pick out some remote, obscure place (like in North Dakota or Wyoming) and run one more marathon there. Then I'll reevaluate where I'm going with my running: I will either continue with the marathons or taper down my distance a bit.
The Disney World Marathon on January 9 was something I had been considering, but I read some accounts of participants in previous years and decided against it. I don't see the point in trying to run in a group of 24,000 runners, and the convoluted way in which Disney World herded the participants around in the wee hours of the morning before the race didn't seem very appealing, either. So what's left with marathons around where I live?
On January 23, the Ocala Marathon will be held, about forty miles from Gainesville. This event will be easy to travel to and from. If I am in shape, I will run in it. On February 20, LifeSouth will once again stage its Five Points of Life Marathon in Gainesville. Last year I ran the half-marathon; this year it will be the full distance.
If all works out well for me with the Ocala Marathon (meaning that (1) I complete it and (2) I make a complete recovery) I may apply for some time off in early March to compete in the Snickers Marathon in Albany, Georgia.
And then the marathon season once again goes northward. Seeing that I have a job, a budget, and other obligations, I am not in a position to go flying willy-nilly around the country running various marathon events. But it would be cool, once I have the experience of actually completing a marathon, to pick out some remote, obscure place (like in North Dakota or Wyoming) and run one more marathon there. Then I'll reevaluate where I'm going with my running: I will either continue with the marathons or taper down my distance a bit.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Aviator at Wild Adventures
I miss the enjoyment of sitting through simple theme park rides like this one, The Aviator, at Valdosta, Georgia's Wild Adventures. This park is slightly less than a hundred-mile drive from Gainesville and is the closest theme park with roller coasters and other thrill rides. Perhaps later this month I'll see if I can't steal some time away from the elements in my life that are stealing it from me and go there for a few hours of fun.Monday, December 13, 2010
Cold, Windy Morning in Gainesville
Once again it dipped below freezing this morning in Gainesville. But unlike up north, the air is very dry with not a hint of any kind of precipitation. But there is a very, very strong wind from the northwest at a sustained 25 mph. The question I have to pose myself is how much of a wimp am I going to be to excuse myself from running this morning because of the weather?
Later today.....I did wimp out on running in the very strong, cold wind, but I didn't cop out on my training: I went to the YMCA instead and ran ten "miles" on the treadmill there. Treadmill running isn't something I want to do regularly, but it does come in handy, like on this extreme weather day.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Little Difficulty with China
I'm having just a little difficulty with China these days. I keep hearing how capitalistic it has become, with the free market dominating its economy. Many Chinese come to the U.S. for study and employment, and then return to their beloved homeland. I don't see here the extremism of the Cold War Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, where citizens of socialist "paradises" were shot trying to escape into supposedly evil, decadent capitalist nations across their borders. As a matter of fact, there is still one of these Cold War holdovers adjacent to China: North Korea (whose border is closed to China).
When I last went to Walt Disney World's Epcot Center, I visited the Chinese pavilion there. There was a large gift shop which contained "things Chinese". I saw a lot of traditional stuff, but strangely not a thing about socialism, communism, or the "revolution". Not a single picture of their bigshot revolutionary hero and leader Mao Zedong was to be found there. Yet, whenever the Chinese government comes out with anything, it is still clouded with all sorts of references to this clearly outmoded system that essentially collapsed on itself in the mid-1970's. So why...
Why is it a crime for a Chinese citizen like Liu Xiaobo to publicly advocate for a peaceful transition to a pluralistic, representative democracy that more appropriately reflects its newly found economic freedoms? Why is the Chinese government so uptight about Liu, who is in jail serving an eleven-year sentence, being picked for this year's Nobel Peace Prize...even to the point of pressuring other sovereign nations to boycott the ceremony?
The extent to which the Chinese authorities are going to quash any dissent or push for democratic reform tells me one thing: that like the repressive Iron Curtain regimes, their authority is built upon a "house of cards". No one believes in the Marxist-Leninist theory that the State still officially sanctions; it's just that for anyone serving within that government to condemn or even criticize it is taboo, a sure-fire formula for losing one's job or even freedom. But once the door gets jarred open a little and more and more people openly push for reform, an irreversible threshold may be passed and the ensuing torrent of freedom will be difficult for the repressive regime to withstand.
When I last went to Walt Disney World's Epcot Center, I visited the Chinese pavilion there. There was a large gift shop which contained "things Chinese". I saw a lot of traditional stuff, but strangely not a thing about socialism, communism, or the "revolution". Not a single picture of their bigshot revolutionary hero and leader Mao Zedong was to be found there. Yet, whenever the Chinese government comes out with anything, it is still clouded with all sorts of references to this clearly outmoded system that essentially collapsed on itself in the mid-1970's. So why...
Why is it a crime for a Chinese citizen like Liu Xiaobo to publicly advocate for a peaceful transition to a pluralistic, representative democracy that more appropriately reflects its newly found economic freedoms? Why is the Chinese government so uptight about Liu, who is in jail serving an eleven-year sentence, being picked for this year's Nobel Peace Prize...even to the point of pressuring other sovereign nations to boycott the ceremony?
The extent to which the Chinese authorities are going to quash any dissent or push for democratic reform tells me one thing: that like the repressive Iron Curtain regimes, their authority is built upon a "house of cards". No one believes in the Marxist-Leninist theory that the State still officially sanctions; it's just that for anyone serving within that government to condemn or even criticize it is taboo, a sure-fire formula for losing one's job or even freedom. But once the door gets jarred open a little and more and more people openly push for reform, an irreversible threshold may be passed and the ensuing torrent of freedom will be difficult for the repressive regime to withstand.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Unpleasant Friday Run
Yesterday I set out to run another 14 miles as I had previously established as a minimum training distance. I had run 14.03 miles Wednesday, or so I thought. But no, as I began running yesterday, the thought occurred to me that I had inadvertently skipped a .1 mile segment of my course, finishing instead at 13.93 miles. Dammit! Still, I did run 14 miles, for all practical purposes: especially when considering the distance accrued from the times I crossed streets back and forth for various reasons. That alone would have put me over the 14-mile mark.
I wasn't too happy seeing Friday morning's humidity at 70%. Regardless whether it is cold or hot, a high humidity usually leads to a more taxing run for me. This is one of the main reasons I have avoided night running, since the nighttime is usually marked by an upward spike in humidity. As it turned out, at the run's start it was 45 degrees. I first felt uncomfortable with a tee shirt, as opposed to some heavier clothing over my upper body, but within a mile of running I was glad of my decision.
It's funny how others seem to relish the high humidity: the roads and paths were full of joggers. Most of them were heavily clad; I wondered how they would survive the sweltering heat they were building up under their clothing. But to each his-or-her own, I suppose.
My run went pretty well, given the unwelcome moisture in the air (it actually broke out into a light misty rain a few times). But I had to curtail it at 10.48 miles because my bladder was overloaded. I suppose that, in retrospect, I could have gone back out and finished the 14 miles after relieving myself. But it simply was not an enjoyable run. And as I have stated before in another article, I seem to always have a time limit hanging over me anyway, with other areas of my life making their demands on me.
I wasn't too happy seeing Friday morning's humidity at 70%. Regardless whether it is cold or hot, a high humidity usually leads to a more taxing run for me. This is one of the main reasons I have avoided night running, since the nighttime is usually marked by an upward spike in humidity. As it turned out, at the run's start it was 45 degrees. I first felt uncomfortable with a tee shirt, as opposed to some heavier clothing over my upper body, but within a mile of running I was glad of my decision.
It's funny how others seem to relish the high humidity: the roads and paths were full of joggers. Most of them were heavily clad; I wondered how they would survive the sweltering heat they were building up under their clothing. But to each his-or-her own, I suppose.
My run went pretty well, given the unwelcome moisture in the air (it actually broke out into a light misty rain a few times). But I had to curtail it at 10.48 miles because my bladder was overloaded. I suppose that, in retrospect, I could have gone back out and finished the 14 miles after relieving myself. But it simply was not an enjoyable run. And as I have stated before in another article, I seem to always have a time limit hanging over me anyway, with other areas of my life making their demands on me.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Urban Meyer Retires
After six seasons of coaching the University of Florida football team, Urban Meyer is retiring, citing his family's interests as his primary reason. Meyer, who led the Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008, has also struggled with his health during the last year. I appreciate his efforts and contributions to giving UF not only such a successful football program in terms of winning, but also in terms of maintaining high ethical standards for the players and staff. He will be missed.
During the next few weeks, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley will face the task of finding a suitable replacement for Meyer. Several names are already floating around in the media, among them Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen (who used to be offensive coordinator at Florida under Meyer). Oklahoma's coach Bob Stoops is also on the long list of possibilities.
Regardless who gets the job, Florida's very demanding fan base needs to give him some initial latitude in setting things up the way he wants it. This almost certainly will entail a different emphasis on each aspect of the game. Florida's current players also need to work with whomever the new coach is and not automatically assume that transferring to a different school or opting out early for a professional football career is the best route (although I think that anyone who feels capable of getting one of those high-paying NFL jobs should jump at the chance whether or not Meyer had stayed on).
Let's just sit back and enjoy Florida's final game under Meyer: New Year's Day at Tampa's Outback Bowl against Penn State.
During the next few weeks, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley will face the task of finding a suitable replacement for Meyer. Several names are already floating around in the media, among them Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen (who used to be offensive coordinator at Florida under Meyer). Oklahoma's coach Bob Stoops is also on the long list of possibilities.
Regardless who gets the job, Florida's very demanding fan base needs to give him some initial latitude in setting things up the way he wants it. This almost certainly will entail a different emphasis on each aspect of the game. Florida's current players also need to work with whomever the new coach is and not automatically assume that transferring to a different school or opting out early for a professional football career is the best route (although I think that anyone who feels capable of getting one of those high-paying NFL jobs should jump at the chance whether or not Meyer had stayed on).
Let's just sit back and enjoy Florida's final game under Meyer: New Year's Day at Tampa's Outback Bowl against Penn State.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Running Upped to 14 Miles
Today I ran 14.03 miles (time span: 2:12:31), marking a change in my training pattern. For the previous eight workouts, I had run between ten and eleven miles apiece. I had established ten as the base mileage for a run. Now, as the time for running a marathon nears, I am raising the bar and establishing fourteen as my base mileage. I have a great course to run, and all I have to do is just step outside of my house...and return after 14+ miles! Today I could have run much further, with temperatures in the upper forties and the humidity dipping to 22%. But alas, I do have a life, and with that life there are time limits to what I can do. But 14 miles rocks!
I read that Mr. John Wallace, the sexagenarian marathoner with his Maddog Marathon site, recently ran the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa. I wonder what his future Florida marathon plans are. If I ever run into the dude, I'd like to shake his hand! He is an inspiration, although I think I would be wiser to listen to his advice about generating personal wealth than about running marathons! Wallace likes to refer to fellow competitors he thinks might be in his age category as "old farts". I'd be sure to let him know that, all visual evidence to the contrary, this "old fart" isn't in his age group!
I read that Mr. John Wallace, the sexagenarian marathoner with his Maddog Marathon site, recently ran the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa. I wonder what his future Florida marathon plans are. If I ever run into the dude, I'd like to shake his hand! He is an inspiration, although I think I would be wiser to listen to his advice about generating personal wealth than about running marathons! Wallace likes to refer to fellow competitors he thinks might be in his age category as "old farts". I'd be sure to let him know that, all visual evidence to the contrary, this "old fart" isn't in his age group!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Florida's NFL Teams So Far This Year
It looks as if there is a real possibility that all three Floridian National Football League franchises, the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars may miss the playoffs this year despite all three having pretty good teams.
The Dolphins are 6-6 but in the most competitive division: the AFC East with perennial power New England ahead at 10-2, closely followed by the much-improved New York Jets at 9-3. Miami has games against each team, but they lost both of their first contests with them earlier this year. The Dolphins don't have much of a chance to catch up with them, so these games to me just seem now like very difficult obstacles to surmount. Their only real hope of reaching the playoffs would be to win their remaining four games and hope that someone else stumbles.
Tampa Bay, likewise, is in a very competitive division, the NFC South. Atlanta and New Orleans are ahead of them in the standings. At 7-5 the Bucs are also behind in the race to make it as a wild card team. Still they are much improved from their 3-13 season last year.
Jacksonville probably has the best chance of getting into the playoffs. Picked by many to finish last in the AFC South, the Jaguars have managed to get themselves, with a 7-5 record, into a one-game lead over surprisingly disappointing Indianapolis with four games to go. The Jaguars still have a remaining game against the Peyton Manning-led Colts, whom they beat earlier this year. Should Jacksonville win again against them, they would be in a strong position to make the playoffs as division champion. If they lose, I doubt that they would make it even though they would still be in the running.
I like seeing Florida's NFL teams doing relatively well, but it has been a while since any of them has enjoyed a banner season. One or more of them, though, could well do just that next year.
The Dolphins are 6-6 but in the most competitive division: the AFC East with perennial power New England ahead at 10-2, closely followed by the much-improved New York Jets at 9-3. Miami has games against each team, but they lost both of their first contests with them earlier this year. The Dolphins don't have much of a chance to catch up with them, so these games to me just seem now like very difficult obstacles to surmount. Their only real hope of reaching the playoffs would be to win their remaining four games and hope that someone else stumbles.
Tampa Bay, likewise, is in a very competitive division, the NFC South. Atlanta and New Orleans are ahead of them in the standings. At 7-5 the Bucs are also behind in the race to make it as a wild card team. Still they are much improved from their 3-13 season last year.
Jacksonville probably has the best chance of getting into the playoffs. Picked by many to finish last in the AFC South, the Jaguars have managed to get themselves, with a 7-5 record, into a one-game lead over surprisingly disappointing Indianapolis with four games to go. The Jaguars still have a remaining game against the Peyton Manning-led Colts, whom they beat earlier this year. Should Jacksonville win again against them, they would be in a strong position to make the playoffs as division champion. If they lose, I doubt that they would make it even though they would still be in the running.
I like seeing Florida's NFL teams doing relatively well, but it has been a while since any of them has enjoyed a banner season. One or more of them, though, could well do just that next year.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Temperatures Falling in North Florida
One of the funny things about living in Florida, even the northern part as I do, is discussing the winter weather when it gets cold. The cold temperatures here have been long in coming, which you know if you've been following this blog. Now that they are finally here, I am beginning to wax nostalgic about the summer!
For the last three mornings, the temperatures plummeted below freezing, lows being around 30. But for the rest of the week, starting tomorrow morning, we are expecting record lows, dipping down into the low 20's. The highs shouldn't pierce the 60 degree mark until the end of the week.
Meanwhile, I just heard that New York City got four feet of snow. Relatives living in Kentucky are sending pictures showing snowman construction zones. And I'm harping about the weather here, which incidentally is exceedingly dry, no precipitation of any sort forecast in the foreseeable future.
This past February, I was dismayed on the morning of the LifeSouth Half Marathon when at the 7:00 start of the race it was 28 degrees. I wore a sweatshirt (the same one I'm wearing right now in Starbucks writing this) and long training pants to run the race. It heated up during the run, though, resting in the early 40's when I finished sweating like crazy under the insulation. So my current training strategy is simple: wait until temperatures climb up to the 40's and then go running in my usual tee shirt and shorts.
No, I WILL make an effort to revel in this coldness and even thrive in it! After all, down here I don't have to concern myself with snowdrifts and icy roads!
For the last three mornings, the temperatures plummeted below freezing, lows being around 30. But for the rest of the week, starting tomorrow morning, we are expecting record lows, dipping down into the low 20's. The highs shouldn't pierce the 60 degree mark until the end of the week.
Meanwhile, I just heard that New York City got four feet of snow. Relatives living in Kentucky are sending pictures showing snowman construction zones. And I'm harping about the weather here, which incidentally is exceedingly dry, no precipitation of any sort forecast in the foreseeable future.
This past February, I was dismayed on the morning of the LifeSouth Half Marathon when at the 7:00 start of the race it was 28 degrees. I wore a sweatshirt (the same one I'm wearing right now in Starbucks writing this) and long training pants to run the race. It heated up during the run, though, resting in the early 40's when I finished sweating like crazy under the insulation. So my current training strategy is simple: wait until temperatures climb up to the 40's and then go running in my usual tee shirt and shorts.
No, I WILL make an effort to revel in this coldness and even thrive in it! After all, down here I don't have to concern myself with snowdrifts and icy roads!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Birthday Celebration Propriety
Someone at work recently celebrated her birthday, and some of her co-workers organized a small celebration with a cake and mini-party. Then they decided to meet after work at a local late-night restaurant to continue the festivities. Everyone was invited to celebrate the fact that this individual had been born. I for one was very glad that she was born and had a birthday to celebrate. But being the obnoxious curmudgeon that I am, I have a problem with certain people being singled out in a social environment for this honor while others are virtually ignored. Does the converse hold here: if some are publicly shown appreciation for having been born, then does it follow that for those so ignored, their lives then don't add up to a hill of beans for these people? That may be the unintended message that is conveyed.
In a family, it would be catastrophic for parents to celebrate one of their children's birthdays while ignoring the other's. Within a circle of tight, close friends, whether or not someone gets the birthday "treatment" can be seen as an indication of their acceptance by the others (unless of course the circle isn't one to celebrate birthdays at all among any of its members).
Now come to place like a school classroom or the workplace. There are also tight social circles here and birthday celebrations abound in these areas. But in my opinion, they should be confined to a more private setting and not imposed on everyone. Especially on those whose own birthdays are clearly ignored by the same ones bestowing special honors on their personal buddies. I understand this and don't feel slighted about having my birthday passed over while another with whom I closely work is doted upon. I am not into the "birthday" thing anyway, at least outside my immediate family. I couldn't care less when anyone else was born. Why can't we all just get together and openly express happiness that we're ALL alive? But I have seen it happen in the past when a colleague, wanting to have her own upcoming birthday remembered after seeing others so recognized, slipped obvious hints around that her birthday should be publicly celebrated as well. She was ignored, her birthday passed by, and this obviously fostered some bad feelings that lingered long thereafter.
The Chinese had traditionally solved this birthday problem by the simple concept of having everyone's birthday offically recognized on the same day, regardless when they were actually born (a tradition probably long gone by now). But in our oh-so-narcissistic Western society, forget it! It's ME-ME-ME-ME!
In a family, it would be catastrophic for parents to celebrate one of their children's birthdays while ignoring the other's. Within a circle of tight, close friends, whether or not someone gets the birthday "treatment" can be seen as an indication of their acceptance by the others (unless of course the circle isn't one to celebrate birthdays at all among any of its members).
Now come to place like a school classroom or the workplace. There are also tight social circles here and birthday celebrations abound in these areas. But in my opinion, they should be confined to a more private setting and not imposed on everyone. Especially on those whose own birthdays are clearly ignored by the same ones bestowing special honors on their personal buddies. I understand this and don't feel slighted about having my birthday passed over while another with whom I closely work is doted upon. I am not into the "birthday" thing anyway, at least outside my immediate family. I couldn't care less when anyone else was born. Why can't we all just get together and openly express happiness that we're ALL alive? But I have seen it happen in the past when a colleague, wanting to have her own upcoming birthday remembered after seeing others so recognized, slipped obvious hints around that her birthday should be publicly celebrated as well. She was ignored, her birthday passed by, and this obviously fostered some bad feelings that lingered long thereafter.
The Chinese had traditionally solved this birthday problem by the simple concept of having everyone's birthday offically recognized on the same day, regardless when they were actually born (a tradition probably long gone by now). But in our oh-so-narcissistic Western society, forget it! It's ME-ME-ME-ME!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
My Running and Swimming Lately
For each of my past seven training runs, I have covered ten miles. This seems to be settling into a pattern, making ten miles my minimum, base distance. Considering that I intend to enter and complete at least one 26.2 mile marathon race between now and March, this is probably a pretty good strategy. I don't think that anything shorter is going to do me all that much good in trying to build up my distance.
I don't run every day, usually (but not always) leaving a day set aside for recovery. Often I take these occasions to go down to my local YMCA pool and practice my swimming. I am currently reteaching myself to swim freestyle, as well as the backstroke and the breaststroke for the first time. I am following swimming instructor Terry Laughlin's precepts on working to achieve and maintain balance in the water while swimming, a difficult but crucial step in becoming able to swim long and efficiently. I've begun to swim pool laps, which are about 25 yards in length. The first lap is usually a breeze, but by the fourth I am very tired and lose my sense of "balance", beginning to lunge and flounder about in the water more. It's funny that my running endurance doesn't seem to automatically transfer over to swimming! Still, I see swimming as a good long-term activity to carry over into old age (along with walking and bicycling).
Although I want to run long-distance for a few more years, I am also aware of the relatively high injury rate with this activity. My plan there is to accomplish my marathon(s) this year, maybe repeat for another year, and then taper down to half-marathons and 10-15K races. From then I'll see what I want to do. It is interesting, though, that with all of the support for swimming given by the medical establishment as a worthwhile athletic activity, there are no publicly-available swimming competitions (other than as a part of triathlons) as there are with running (at least in my area). Maybe this will change, hopefully. Not that I would aspire to do anything in a swimming race other than not finishing last!
I don't run every day, usually (but not always) leaving a day set aside for recovery. Often I take these occasions to go down to my local YMCA pool and practice my swimming. I am currently reteaching myself to swim freestyle, as well as the backstroke and the breaststroke for the first time. I am following swimming instructor Terry Laughlin's precepts on working to achieve and maintain balance in the water while swimming, a difficult but crucial step in becoming able to swim long and efficiently. I've begun to swim pool laps, which are about 25 yards in length. The first lap is usually a breeze, but by the fourth I am very tired and lose my sense of "balance", beginning to lunge and flounder about in the water more. It's funny that my running endurance doesn't seem to automatically transfer over to swimming! Still, I see swimming as a good long-term activity to carry over into old age (along with walking and bicycling).
Although I want to run long-distance for a few more years, I am also aware of the relatively high injury rate with this activity. My plan there is to accomplish my marathon(s) this year, maybe repeat for another year, and then taper down to half-marathons and 10-15K races. From then I'll see what I want to do. It is interesting, though, that with all of the support for swimming given by the medical establishment as a worthwhile athletic activity, there are no publicly-available swimming competitions (other than as a part of triathlons) as there are with running (at least in my area). Maybe this will change, hopefully. Not that I would aspire to do anything in a swimming race other than not finishing last!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Senate Standoff Over Extending Tax Cuts
It looks like a standoff in Congress during this lame duck session. The Senate Republicans, under the leadership of Mitch McConnell, have lined up all 42 of their senators behind the idea of holding up any legislation until the Bush tax cuts are extended in their entirety. These cuts, which the nation as a whole has grown accustomed to being the regular rates, are technically temporary in nature. They are due to expire on January 1 next year, creating a massive de facto tax increase. President Obama and the Democrats want to extend the cuts for the lower and (what they call) middle classes, but want them to expire for those making at least $250,000 per year. It is this arbitrary line that the Democrats have drawn that, in my opinion, is causing the division between the two parties on this issue.
I know that the wealthy can afford to pay more taxes; they won't have to make difficult and even sacrificial personal choices affecting their health care, transportation, energy, or any other areas pertaining to their standard of living. On the other hand, I think that including those making $250,000 as the "wealthy" is stretching things to the point of class warfare. Warfare against the middle class!
I'm afraid that some on the political left hold a stereotypical view of large businesses and small businesses. To them, with the big corporations they see some arrogant cigar-smoking tycoon sitting back in his ritzy penthouse office with his feet on his desk, planning how to exploit the needy for his company's aims and to fatten his own wallet. And on the other end of the spectrum, a small business is typically seen as a little family-owned shop or diner. But while many small businesses are of the mom-and-pop variety, there are others who are larger in scope and whose owners operate their businesses on margins of profit, which they plow back into them. It is with these medium-sized businesses, which employ an enormous number of people nationwide, that dramatically raising taxes will cause hardship to be passed on to "average" people by keeping those affected business owners from hiring new workers.
So I'm holding my nose on this tax dispute and for once siding with the Republicans. We are still in recovery from what the Obama administration itself calls the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and to which it responded in 2009 with a Draconian stimulus bill. This is not the time to let the Bush cuts expire, for although Democrats can talk until their faces are blue about how they aren't really raising taxes, in fact the sudden rises will be traumatic for EVERYONE. I don't like the way the GOP has conducted itself during the last two years, especially in the Senate, by adopting an obstructionist strategy. This one time, though, that strategy may actually be in the national interest. For a change.
I know that the wealthy can afford to pay more taxes; they won't have to make difficult and even sacrificial personal choices affecting their health care, transportation, energy, or any other areas pertaining to their standard of living. On the other hand, I think that including those making $250,000 as the "wealthy" is stretching things to the point of class warfare. Warfare against the middle class!
I'm afraid that some on the political left hold a stereotypical view of large businesses and small businesses. To them, with the big corporations they see some arrogant cigar-smoking tycoon sitting back in his ritzy penthouse office with his feet on his desk, planning how to exploit the needy for his company's aims and to fatten his own wallet. And on the other end of the spectrum, a small business is typically seen as a little family-owned shop or diner. But while many small businesses are of the mom-and-pop variety, there are others who are larger in scope and whose owners operate their businesses on margins of profit, which they plow back into them. It is with these medium-sized businesses, which employ an enormous number of people nationwide, that dramatically raising taxes will cause hardship to be passed on to "average" people by keeping those affected business owners from hiring new workers.
So I'm holding my nose on this tax dispute and for once siding with the Republicans. We are still in recovery from what the Obama administration itself calls the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and to which it responded in 2009 with a Draconian stimulus bill. This is not the time to let the Bush cuts expire, for although Democrats can talk until their faces are blue about how they aren't really raising taxes, in fact the sudden rises will be traumatic for EVERYONE. I don't like the way the GOP has conducted itself during the last two years, especially in the Senate, by adopting an obstructionist strategy. This one time, though, that strategy may actually be in the national interest. For a change.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Personal Radiohead Top-30 List
I was going to make a list of all the Radiohead songs I know, ranking them all the way from my top favorite to least favorite. To me, this makes sense as this is probably the best band of the century so far, deserving a place in the pantheon of renown rock bands of the past like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., and Pink Floyd. However, there are still a couple of glitches in my quest: I only know a minority of Radiohead's songs, even though I have six of their seven studio albums and know all of the tracks on these pretty well.
The one Radiohead album I am missing is their first, Pablo Honey. It contains their most famous single, Creep, along with other good songs that I like (and some I don't particularly like). But I haven't heard it enough to form a clear judgement about the material, as I have on their subsequent works: The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), Hail to the Thief (2003), and In Rainbows (2007). I am currently exploring the least expensive (albeit legitimate) avenue through which to obtain a copy of Pablo Honey, so it is just a matter of time here. But there is an even greater factor delaying my comprehensive Radiohead songs list.
Much of Radiohead's released studio material comes from EP releases or as singles B-sides. I'm thinking of about 60 songs here, and I have just begun to explore them. Of course, I could just limit my initial top-to-bottom Radiohead list to their full-length studio albums and deal with the rest later. What I'll probably end up doing is eventually to include Pablo Honey as I become more familiar with it, along with a number (but not all) of those "extras".
Here is my personal Radiohead "top-thirty" so far, with their albums in brackets (note that #2 and #3 are different versions of the same song):
1 Reckoner [In Rainbows]
2 Morning Bell [Amnesiac]
3 Morning Bell [Kid A]
4 Faust Arp [In Rainbows]
5 I Might be Wrong [Amnesiac]
6 In Limbo [Kid A]
7 Go to Sleep [Hail to the Thief]
8 Sail to the Moon [Hail to the Thief]
9 Dollars and Cents [Amnesiac]
10 Karma Police [OK Computer]
11 Idioteque [Kid A]
12 There There [HttT]
13 Everything in It's Right Place [Kid A]
14 Scatterbrain [HttT]
15 Planet Telex [The Bends]
16 All I Need [IR]
17 Pyramid Song [Amn]
18 15 Step [IR]
19 Paranoid Android [OK C]
20 Punchup at a Wedding [HttT]
21 Bodysnatchers [IR]
22 My Iron Lung [Bends]
23 Optimistic [Kid A]
24 No Surprises [OK C]
25 Jigsaw Falling Into Place [IR]
26 National Anthem [Kid A]
27 Bones [Bends]
28 Packed Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box [Amn]
29 Videotape [IR]
30 Subterranean Homesick Alien [OK C]
----
Now this is an indication of my blog's present condition. Ideally, I would be getting feedback comments saying things like "yeah, I like that song" or "dude, wtf are you thinking, ranking that one that high". I doubt that my good friends from New York and Maryland even listen to Radiohead, so although I DEEPLY value their input, in this case I am depending on a broader input from readers. Which apparently isn't there!
The one Radiohead album I am missing is their first, Pablo Honey. It contains their most famous single, Creep, along with other good songs that I like (and some I don't particularly like). But I haven't heard it enough to form a clear judgement about the material, as I have on their subsequent works: The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), Hail to the Thief (2003), and In Rainbows (2007). I am currently exploring the least expensive (albeit legitimate) avenue through which to obtain a copy of Pablo Honey, so it is just a matter of time here. But there is an even greater factor delaying my comprehensive Radiohead songs list.
Much of Radiohead's released studio material comes from EP releases or as singles B-sides. I'm thinking of about 60 songs here, and I have just begun to explore them. Of course, I could just limit my initial top-to-bottom Radiohead list to their full-length studio albums and deal with the rest later. What I'll probably end up doing is eventually to include Pablo Honey as I become more familiar with it, along with a number (but not all) of those "extras".
Here is my personal Radiohead "top-thirty" so far, with their albums in brackets (note that #2 and #3 are different versions of the same song):
1 Reckoner [In Rainbows]
2 Morning Bell [Amnesiac]
3 Morning Bell [Kid A]
4 Faust Arp [In Rainbows]
5 I Might be Wrong [Amnesiac]
6 In Limbo [Kid A]
7 Go to Sleep [Hail to the Thief]
8 Sail to the Moon [Hail to the Thief]
9 Dollars and Cents [Amnesiac]
10 Karma Police [OK Computer]
11 Idioteque [Kid A]
12 There There [HttT]
13 Everything in It's Right Place [Kid A]
14 Scatterbrain [HttT]
15 Planet Telex [The Bends]
16 All I Need [IR]
17 Pyramid Song [Amn]
18 15 Step [IR]
19 Paranoid Android [OK C]
20 Punchup at a Wedding [HttT]
21 Bodysnatchers [IR]
22 My Iron Lung [Bends]
23 Optimistic [Kid A]
24 No Surprises [OK C]
25 Jigsaw Falling Into Place [IR]
26 National Anthem [Kid A]
27 Bones [Bends]
28 Packed Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box [Amn]
29 Videotape [IR]
30 Subterranean Homesick Alien [OK C]
----
Now this is an indication of my blog's present condition. Ideally, I would be getting feedback comments saying things like "yeah, I like that song" or "dude, wtf are you thinking, ranking that one that high". I doubt that my good friends from New York and Maryland even listen to Radiohead, so although I DEEPLY value their input, in this case I am depending on a broader input from readers. Which apparently isn't there!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Murkowski Over Miller: So What?
I suppose I should be happy that "mainstream" Republican (or former Republican, that is) senator Lisa Murkowski was able to muster enough votes as a write-in independent candidate to defeat Palin-endorsed Tea Party Republican Joe Miller in the Alaska U.S. Senate race. But how much should I really rejoice, anyway? It seems that for the last two years, Republican senators have pretty much consistently voted in a straight block against ANYTHING on that legislative body's agenda in a cynical attempt to delay and obstruct the duly-elected majority Democrats from being able to claim any credit for accomplishing anything. It didn't seem to matter whether the GOP senator was an ideologue like James Inhofe or a moderate like Richard Lugar. It was in essence a two-year "block party" for all concerned. Murkowski may have been personally inclined toward being a moderate, but she still followed the party leaders' directives and contributed very little of a positive nature during the last two years. So I don't see how her reelection will make much of a difference during the next two as well. Of course, sooner or later the Republicans will regain a Senate majority...and then they'll expect the Democrats to work with them. Yes, Lisa Murkowski will then once again be on the Senate floor proposing legislation and doubtlessly criticizing the Dems for being obstructionists! So I guess I would eventually rather have her in there instead of Miller, who strikes me as being of the same ilk that George Wallace was in the sixties and seventies. Only the targeted demographic scapegoat groups have changed from blacks back then to Mexicans, Muslims, and gays now.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Blog to Stay Active
Well, I was going to lay this blog aside and explore other areas on the Internet, but my friend Barry from New York sent me an encouraging e-mail, convincing me to ride out this period I'm undergoing of aversion to writing. After all, I look at most of the other blogs individuals publish and see huge gaps in their entries, some even spanning months. So I canceled that last entry and am keeping things active here. After all, I can determine how much I want to write and how often according to my standards.
Barry, I do appreciate your kind input and your friendship going back into the 1960s. I would like to increase readership and get a diversity of commentary on it. Perhaps I need to advertise this blog on my Facebook page, which I have rarely ever used.
Barry, I do appreciate your kind input and your friendship going back into the 1960s. I would like to increase readership and get a diversity of commentary on it. Perhaps I need to advertise this blog on my Facebook page, which I have rarely ever used.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Obama's Commissions
When Barack Obama devised his commission in 2009 to determine what to do with the U.S. space program, he pretty much already knew what he wanted to do: scrap the ambitious and important plan from the previous administration to set up a base on the moon. So what happened but the commission (surprise, surprise) recommended that the President abandon Bush's plan in favor of some vague future projects to land on an asteroid or Mars. And, incidentally, also contract out all launching rockets, making NASA essentially helpless in trying to launch people into space for a few years. It was just what Obama had wanted all along, since he has never been the least bit interested in space exploration and only promised Florida voters that he would stick with Bush's project in order to win that state in the 2008 election. In the words of that rude-ass South Carolina congressman during the President's address last year, "You lie!"
But Obama had authority to dictate whatever changes in NASA that he wanted since this is a federal agency and he is the president. Now he has another commission delivering its report: how to reduce the federal deficit. And it appears that Obama may have gone just a bit too far with his love of study commissions.
After all, it is Congress that determines the federal budget, with the president able to wield some power with the threat of veto. Almost no one likes the commission's findings, so the outcome can only make Obama appear to be weak and ineffectual.
Maybe our president can learn from this in setting up his future commissions (for which he may just have a couple of more years). Make sure you can control who is on the commission as well as assure that the results of their research conforms to your own preconceived ideas. And then make sure that this all takes place in an area that you can act upon without needing to cooperate or compromise with others who may have conflicting views. If you can accomplish this, then you can once again arrogantly flip off criticisms of your decisions with ignorant comments like the one that we aren't going to the moon because "we've already been there". Well, Mr. President, I've "already been there" in the voting booth, voting for you in '08. Maybe I don't have to go back there either!
But Obama had authority to dictate whatever changes in NASA that he wanted since this is a federal agency and he is the president. Now he has another commission delivering its report: how to reduce the federal deficit. And it appears that Obama may have gone just a bit too far with his love of study commissions.
After all, it is Congress that determines the federal budget, with the president able to wield some power with the threat of veto. Almost no one likes the commission's findings, so the outcome can only make Obama appear to be weak and ineffectual.
Maybe our president can learn from this in setting up his future commissions (for which he may just have a couple of more years). Make sure you can control who is on the commission as well as assure that the results of their research conforms to your own preconceived ideas. And then make sure that this all takes place in an area that you can act upon without needing to cooperate or compromise with others who may have conflicting views. If you can accomplish this, then you can once again arrogantly flip off criticisms of your decisions with ignorant comments like the one that we aren't going to the moon because "we've already been there". Well, Mr. President, I've "already been there" in the voting booth, voting for you in '08. Maybe I don't have to go back there either!
Monday, November 15, 2010
16.9 Mile Training Run Today
Earlier today I ran 16.9 miles as I continue to prepare for some uncertain marathon race in the not-so-distant future. My time was 2:39:52. The temperature went from 63 to 77 during the workout, while the humidity dropped from 73 to 43%. Not excruciating conditions, to be sure, but also not conducive for me running up to a marathon distance (26.2 miles) either. Still, I came out of the run feeling better than after recent ones, and the run itself went smoothly. I could have even gone a few miles further, but it seems that there is always an externally-imposed time-ceiling limiting my runs. Something is always coming up that I have to deal with, and this demands that I limit my running even when I want to go further. Frankly, even if the weather was perfect for a long run, I don't know how I would be able to swing it. This leaves me with the feeling of being a bit harassed, and I resent it. Still, I keep plugging away.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Brief Blog Hiatus
I'm keeping the faith with this blog; it's just that I've had other things going on in my life recently. Consequently, the blog articles have been few and far between. Still, I plan to resume writing before too long.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Personal Running Observations
I am sitting in a Starbucks close to home, reflecting on my running. Today I ran a very modest 8.1 miles. Modest in that I have recently attained the distance of 20.54 miles, while this past week alone I ran (hard) in a 13.1 mile half-marathon and did a 15 mile workout two days later. But today's much shorter run left me tired and wondering what exactly I'm doing to my body. I want to run in a marathon race this winter, which entails covering a whopping 26.2 mile distance. But the weather down here in Florida has been fighting me tooth and nail in my endeavors to attain that distance in my training. For example, today it climbed to 79 degrees by my run's end. But just five days ago, the half-marathon race occurred under 39-49 degree conditions, ideal for running. We just can't seem to keep it very cool, at least for very long. I would be quite content just to have it in the fifties for my running, and it does dip into the forties before sunrise. But immediately thereafter the temperature shoots rapidly up. Ugh!
I don't know that it is necessarily in my best interests for me to emulate some of my fellow runners and embark on a year-round lifestyle of marathon training and racing. For one, I really don't know how much of a toll it's already taking on my body. For another, I already know how huge of a chunk of time it takes away from my already limited free time. So I'm thinking of a change in strategy with my running.
I will train to run in a couple of marathons. The first will be in late December or in January next year. Options are the upcoming marathons in Jacksonville, Clermont (the Florida Marathon), Disney World, and Ocala (all in central or north Florida). Then, on February 20 it will once again be time for Gainesville's Five Points marathon event. Last year I ran the half-marathon; this year I'm shooting for the full marathon. After that, I'm tapering down the distance I train for to between 6 and 13.1 miles.
Will I change my mind again later and just stick with trying to run marathons? Maybe, but there's still more to it than just being in physical shape to cover the distance.
I just saw how one of the freed Chilean miners ran the entire New York Marathon last week. Bravo! He sure had a lot of guts to try that, considering the long ordeal he just recently suffered through. But although I don't want to detract from his feat and my admiration of him, for me there's a lot more involved in running in a marathon race just just "running in a marathon race".
The Chilean miner no doubt was entered by another and pretty much transported right to the starting line, after which he was escorted through the race by a party of assistants. He didn't have to worry about getting time off from work to schedule for the race or about transportation to the site and back home again. Or about where he would stay before the race. All of this I have to consider when trying to decide where to enter a race. Even the relatively close Jacksonville Bank marathon presents a problem because, although it is held on an "off day" for me, the previous night I work until late. Other events present similar problems, and usually they arrange it so that an entrant HAS TO stay overnight in the race's city just to be able to pick up the essential racing packet that contains the timing chip and other important items. I can guarantee you that, if these hassles were removed from me, I wouldn't have any qualms about trying to gut out a marathon, be it in New York or anywhere else.
I don't know that it is necessarily in my best interests for me to emulate some of my fellow runners and embark on a year-round lifestyle of marathon training and racing. For one, I really don't know how much of a toll it's already taking on my body. For another, I already know how huge of a chunk of time it takes away from my already limited free time. So I'm thinking of a change in strategy with my running.
I will train to run in a couple of marathons. The first will be in late December or in January next year. Options are the upcoming marathons in Jacksonville, Clermont (the Florida Marathon), Disney World, and Ocala (all in central or north Florida). Then, on February 20 it will once again be time for Gainesville's Five Points marathon event. Last year I ran the half-marathon; this year I'm shooting for the full marathon. After that, I'm tapering down the distance I train for to between 6 and 13.1 miles.
Will I change my mind again later and just stick with trying to run marathons? Maybe, but there's still more to it than just being in physical shape to cover the distance.
I just saw how one of the freed Chilean miners ran the entire New York Marathon last week. Bravo! He sure had a lot of guts to try that, considering the long ordeal he just recently suffered through. But although I don't want to detract from his feat and my admiration of him, for me there's a lot more involved in running in a marathon race just just "running in a marathon race".
The Chilean miner no doubt was entered by another and pretty much transported right to the starting line, after which he was escorted through the race by a party of assistants. He didn't have to worry about getting time off from work to schedule for the race or about transportation to the site and back home again. Or about where he would stay before the race. All of this I have to consider when trying to decide where to enter a race. Even the relatively close Jacksonville Bank marathon presents a problem because, although it is held on an "off day" for me, the previous night I work until late. Other events present similar problems, and usually they arrange it so that an entrant HAS TO stay overnight in the race's city just to be able to pick up the essential racing packet that contains the timing chip and other important items. I can guarantee you that, if these hassles were removed from me, I wouldn't have any qualms about trying to gut out a marathon, be it in New York or anywhere else.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
George W. Bush's Reappearance
Lately, former president George W. Bush has been making the media rounds while promoting his newly-released memoirs. I have heard a lot of positive reaction to him as he made his case for the often controversial decisions he made during his two-term tenure from 2001 to 2009. I know of several people who could find a multitude of items to complain about him, but I will spotlight two: his insistence on tax cuts favoring the rich throughout his presidency and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
When Bill Clinton left office in 2001, he had a right to claim some credit for not only balancing the federal budget during the last few years of his presidency, but also for generating a surplus that cut into the national debt, reducing the interest that taxpayers would pay on said debt. When Bush came onto the scene in 2001, there was a buzz going around in some conservative circles to the effect that the surplus was somehow bad in that by having "extra" money (a falsehood, since as mentioned the cumulative national debt was still staggering), the federal government would begin to invest in private business and thus begin to insidiously control them. Apparently, young Bush subscribed to this theory as he made it clear that having a yearly surplus was a sign that the government was holding onto the people's money (in spite of the overall debt). And that this money should be given back. Hence the continual deficit-spiraling tax breaks for the duration of his presidency and the first two years of Obama's. Congress gave Bush his wish regarding tax policy, but apparently Obama isn't going to be accorded the same respect (even though he wants to keep much of the tax break intact). Not that I completely agree with Obama: We are in an economic downturn and ending this long-term albeit "temporary" tax break now would, in my opinion, just stifle business investment in growth and jobs at a moment when it needed all the encouragement it could get. But although Bush's tax breaks could have initially been justified for the same reason, they should have ended once the economy had rebounded by the end of his first term. Instead, coupled with the unwarranted invasion and occupation of Iraq, our national debt was allowed to skyrocket while Democrats or anyone else criticizing the president's decisions were labeled as unpatriotic and/or anti-business by his supporters, fiscal responsibility be damned. But the moment Obama stepped into office in 2009, those very same people got "religion" and began to preach fiscal responsibility!
Besides draining the country of its money, the unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 and beyond exacted a tragic human toll across the nation due to the deaths and injuries deriving from it (not to mention the much more severe toll inflicted on the Iraqi people). The unprecedented level of international support for America shown after 9/11 vanished, with the U.S. looking more like the bully on the block.
So yes, George W. Bush looked like his typical likable, "regular guy" self during the interviews I have witnessed lately. And I, unlike some others, don't hold him responsible for the 9/11 attacks. But even considering that, he left his two terms with this country in worse shape than when he started. And his many apologists, who equated support for his decisions with national loyalty, suddenly threw that notion out of the window when a Democratic president succeeded him. Obama never was accorded a "honeymoon": Bush was and he squandered it.
When Bill Clinton left office in 2001, he had a right to claim some credit for not only balancing the federal budget during the last few years of his presidency, but also for generating a surplus that cut into the national debt, reducing the interest that taxpayers would pay on said debt. When Bush came onto the scene in 2001, there was a buzz going around in some conservative circles to the effect that the surplus was somehow bad in that by having "extra" money (a falsehood, since as mentioned the cumulative national debt was still staggering), the federal government would begin to invest in private business and thus begin to insidiously control them. Apparently, young Bush subscribed to this theory as he made it clear that having a yearly surplus was a sign that the government was holding onto the people's money (in spite of the overall debt). And that this money should be given back. Hence the continual deficit-spiraling tax breaks for the duration of his presidency and the first two years of Obama's. Congress gave Bush his wish regarding tax policy, but apparently Obama isn't going to be accorded the same respect (even though he wants to keep much of the tax break intact). Not that I completely agree with Obama: We are in an economic downturn and ending this long-term albeit "temporary" tax break now would, in my opinion, just stifle business investment in growth and jobs at a moment when it needed all the encouragement it could get. But although Bush's tax breaks could have initially been justified for the same reason, they should have ended once the economy had rebounded by the end of his first term. Instead, coupled with the unwarranted invasion and occupation of Iraq, our national debt was allowed to skyrocket while Democrats or anyone else criticizing the president's decisions were labeled as unpatriotic and/or anti-business by his supporters, fiscal responsibility be damned. But the moment Obama stepped into office in 2009, those very same people got "religion" and began to preach fiscal responsibility!
Besides draining the country of its money, the unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 and beyond exacted a tragic human toll across the nation due to the deaths and injuries deriving from it (not to mention the much more severe toll inflicted on the Iraqi people). The unprecedented level of international support for America shown after 9/11 vanished, with the U.S. looking more like the bully on the block.
So yes, George W. Bush looked like his typical likable, "regular guy" self during the interviews I have witnessed lately. And I, unlike some others, don't hold him responsible for the 9/11 attacks. But even considering that, he left his two terms with this country in worse shape than when he started. And his many apologists, who equated support for his decisions with national loyalty, suddenly threw that notion out of the window when a Democratic president succeeded him. Obama never was accorded a "honeymoon": Bush was and he squandered it.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Personal Time Management Needs Improvement
Thought for today: If there is anything that I need to change more than the way I manage time, then I don't know what it is. But how do I run my life in a more efficient, timely manner? I first need to distinguish between two general time situations in my life: committed time and free time.
Committed time is that during which I am, as the title implies, committed to certain activities. The most obvious is work-time, but also sleep-time goes under this category. Work and sleep are pretty predictable, inherently cyclic, and can easily be planned for. But spending time with my wife and children also goes under "committed" time and isn't so predictable. This is a "floating" area that I need to be consciously attentive to and flexible enough by rescheduling other planned events to accommodate family opportunities as they arise.
Free time is time that I am more or less free to schedule my own activities as I see fit. Not only do I want to avoid wasting this precious time through sloth, but also I need to distinguish among the more appropriate use of different times as they relate to specific endeavors I want to accomplish.
So at the start of each day, as well as the end of the previous one, I list areas in which I need to engage myself. Then I set up a rough hourly schedule in which I jot out my plans to fulfill those goals I have written.
Even after the main goals I want to accomplish have been fulfilled, I often find myself with more free time and want to avoid simply vegetating in front of the TV set. So there is another tactic I use whereby I set my pocket timer to 20 minutes and devote myself to a particular activity in a frenzied manner until the timer signals the end of that span. Since there are plenty of activities for me to do that don't necessarily carry with them specific objectives, I'll never run out of ways to occupy myself with the "timer" method. The psychological advantage to this is that, if it's something that I don't particularly want to do (like cleaning the garage or doing yard work), I can see an end to it (the 20 minute mark), beyond which I can switch to a more pleasant activity (even if I'm leaving some work undone in that area).
But ideas for better time management are just that: ideas. It is actually implementing them and developing good time management habits that will change this aspect of my personal life for the better.
Committed time is that during which I am, as the title implies, committed to certain activities. The most obvious is work-time, but also sleep-time goes under this category. Work and sleep are pretty predictable, inherently cyclic, and can easily be planned for. But spending time with my wife and children also goes under "committed" time and isn't so predictable. This is a "floating" area that I need to be consciously attentive to and flexible enough by rescheduling other planned events to accommodate family opportunities as they arise.
Free time is time that I am more or less free to schedule my own activities as I see fit. Not only do I want to avoid wasting this precious time through sloth, but also I need to distinguish among the more appropriate use of different times as they relate to specific endeavors I want to accomplish.
So at the start of each day, as well as the end of the previous one, I list areas in which I need to engage myself. Then I set up a rough hourly schedule in which I jot out my plans to fulfill those goals I have written.
Even after the main goals I want to accomplish have been fulfilled, I often find myself with more free time and want to avoid simply vegetating in front of the TV set. So there is another tactic I use whereby I set my pocket timer to 20 minutes and devote myself to a particular activity in a frenzied manner until the timer signals the end of that span. Since there are plenty of activities for me to do that don't necessarily carry with them specific objectives, I'll never run out of ways to occupy myself with the "timer" method. The psychological advantage to this is that, if it's something that I don't particularly want to do (like cleaning the garage or doing yard work), I can see an end to it (the 20 minute mark), beyond which I can switch to a more pleasant activity (even if I'm leaving some work undone in that area).
But ideas for better time management are just that: ideas. It is actually implementing them and developing good time management habits that will change this aspect of my personal life for the better.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
My Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon Run
Earlier today I ran the Florida Track Club's Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon. It was the first public running race I participated in since my unpleasant three-mile Melon Run (also put on by the Florida Track Club) on July 4. I had decided to run only in longer events and not place any store on the race administrators' ability to accurately record and post my finishing time and placing relative to the other runners. This local half-marathon event seemed tailor-made to prepare me for the upcoming marathon races I plan to enter.
This morning at sunrise, just before the race's start, the weather was so cold at 39 degrees (remember: I'm a Floridian) that I seriously considered just turning around and getting back in my car and driving home. But I stuck it out and shivered for the ten-to-fifteen minutes before the race's start. I wasn't going to make the same mistake I made earlier this year at the Five Points Half-Marathon and overdress; I wore shorts and a "technical" running T-shirt. Anything more would have created stifling conditions for me as the run wore on. Oh, and to avoid the pointless crowding and jockeying for position among runners at the race's start, I simply resolved that issue by making sure I was initially behind EVERYONE. Then I began my own personal timing of my run as I crossed the starting line a few seconds into the race.
The Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon has a distinctive course. On one hand, the entire race takes place away from streets, going completely down a pleasant nature trail on the southeast side of Gainesville. On the other hand, and unlike with other races of this type, the trail in question, the Hawthorne Trail, is paved, wide, and smooth (with no motorized traffic permitted). It was a joy to run down it. Now that I know of its existence, I'll have to take others in my family down it sometimes for bicycling.
Initially, I had planned to follow Jeff Galloway's walk/run principles during this race, but the discomfort of the cold made me want to keep running (to stay warm). Instead, I decided to listen to my body and walk whenever I felt the need. I never did. What began as an intended easy-paced workout ended in a lengthy near-sprint at the end. I finished with a time (by my watch) of 2:01:41. The official time will probably show me going a little over 2:02. That doesn't place me anywhere near the elite runners, even among those within my own age grouping (50-54). But I feel quite satisfied with my performance. And although I didn't employ "walk/run" during the race, this strategy, which I used in my training throughout the long, hot summer, had built up my endurance drastically to the point where I didn't need to use it, at least for this 13.1 mile race. A full 26.2 mile marathon is a different matter entirely, though.
The next race I am considering running in is the marathon taking place in Jacksonville on Sunday, December 19. Alas, there seem to be a few glitches with this plan regarding the logistics of getting there in shape for the race: I have to work at least until 11 PM on the Saturday before and may possibly have to stay even later due to the heavy Christmas parcel season. And the race, I think, starts at 7 the next morning. So I'll have to think about this a little before I commit to paying the entry fee (which now stands at $65).
This morning at sunrise, just before the race's start, the weather was so cold at 39 degrees (remember: I'm a Floridian) that I seriously considered just turning around and getting back in my car and driving home. But I stuck it out and shivered for the ten-to-fifteen minutes before the race's start. I wasn't going to make the same mistake I made earlier this year at the Five Points Half-Marathon and overdress; I wore shorts and a "technical" running T-shirt. Anything more would have created stifling conditions for me as the run wore on. Oh, and to avoid the pointless crowding and jockeying for position among runners at the race's start, I simply resolved that issue by making sure I was initially behind EVERYONE. Then I began my own personal timing of my run as I crossed the starting line a few seconds into the race.
The Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon has a distinctive course. On one hand, the entire race takes place away from streets, going completely down a pleasant nature trail on the southeast side of Gainesville. On the other hand, and unlike with other races of this type, the trail in question, the Hawthorne Trail, is paved, wide, and smooth (with no motorized traffic permitted). It was a joy to run down it. Now that I know of its existence, I'll have to take others in my family down it sometimes for bicycling.
Initially, I had planned to follow Jeff Galloway's walk/run principles during this race, but the discomfort of the cold made me want to keep running (to stay warm). Instead, I decided to listen to my body and walk whenever I felt the need. I never did. What began as an intended easy-paced workout ended in a lengthy near-sprint at the end. I finished with a time (by my watch) of 2:01:41. The official time will probably show me going a little over 2:02. That doesn't place me anywhere near the elite runners, even among those within my own age grouping (50-54). But I feel quite satisfied with my performance. And although I didn't employ "walk/run" during the race, this strategy, which I used in my training throughout the long, hot summer, had built up my endurance drastically to the point where I didn't need to use it, at least for this 13.1 mile race. A full 26.2 mile marathon is a different matter entirely, though.
The next race I am considering running in is the marathon taking place in Jacksonville on Sunday, December 19. Alas, there seem to be a few glitches with this plan regarding the logistics of getting there in shape for the race: I have to work at least until 11 PM on the Saturday before and may possibly have to stay even later due to the heavy Christmas parcel season. And the race, I think, starts at 7 the next morning. So I'll have to think about this a little before I commit to paying the entry fee (which now stands at $65).
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Mid-Term Elections Reaction
Last night the mid-term elections yielded the generally-expected result with Republicans taking back control of the U.S. House, the Democrats managing to hold on to the majority in the Senate, and state gubernatorial races tending to fall into the GOP's win column. Many voters in Nevada who disliked sitting senator Harry Reid nevertheless couldn't bear to vote for his teabagger opponent Sharon Angle and so the Senate Majority Leader was reelected, much to the surprise of many. As I said, there were many Republican victors, so to whom did ABC's Good Morning America decide to give a spotlight interview? Christine O'Donnell, who as expected badly lost her own Tea Party/Republican bid for the Senate against Christopher Coons. I wonder whether ABC even sought out Coons, who actually is the individual who matters and who will be representing Delaware during the next six years.
In Florida, Marco Rubio, a very conservative Republican embraced by the Tea Party movement, coasted to an easy victory over sitting governor Charlie Crist and Democratic congressman Kendrick Meek. Although he is on the opposite end of the political spectrum, I see Rubio's rise as being very similar to Barack Obama's, who successfully ran for president only four years after winning his Senate race to represent Illinois. Rubio strikes me as being just as ambitious as Obama. In the Florida governor's race, Republican Rick Scott appears to have won a real squeaker against Democrat Alex Sink.
We'll see whether or not the Republicans in the new Congress will at least partially abandon their obstructionist tactics against the Obama administration. I would think that they HAVE TO in the House since they are going to be the party in power with the gavel and will control the legislative agenda there. One thing that always happens when the opposition party takes one or both houses during a president's term will probably happen here: they'll begin to have investigations and hearings on alleged or implied improper behavior within that administration. Don't believe me? It happened with Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush during their tenures in office.
As a post-script to this article, my friend Barry, unable at the time to submit a comment on Blogger, e-mailed me a comment regarding yesterday's article. He considered my analogy in it between the election campaign and competitive sports to be inapt and also questioned that I would wave at those people on street corners supporting candidates or issues that I disagreed with. To the first difference I would say that no analogy is perfect; you can always find some point where it breaks down. But being a "good sport" is a life-lesson that children are supposed to be taught at home and at school. And exhibiting gracious behavior toward one's opponent in the face of fierce competition is a crucial element of that good sportsmanship that later in life becomes a crucial social skill useful in many areas, not just in sports. Areas like, for example, adult personal relationships, the workplace, driving through traffic, conducting business either as consumer or provider, legal matters, and yes...politics (among many others).
As for the "waving"...to each his own, I suppose. I don't think, though, that me waving at someone who supports another candidate as he or she is waving at me is anything more than simple social courtesy. But each of us has our own hands to control as we see fit.
In Florida, Marco Rubio, a very conservative Republican embraced by the Tea Party movement, coasted to an easy victory over sitting governor Charlie Crist and Democratic congressman Kendrick Meek. Although he is on the opposite end of the political spectrum, I see Rubio's rise as being very similar to Barack Obama's, who successfully ran for president only four years after winning his Senate race to represent Illinois. Rubio strikes me as being just as ambitious as Obama. In the Florida governor's race, Republican Rick Scott appears to have won a real squeaker against Democrat Alex Sink.
We'll see whether or not the Republicans in the new Congress will at least partially abandon their obstructionist tactics against the Obama administration. I would think that they HAVE TO in the House since they are going to be the party in power with the gavel and will control the legislative agenda there. One thing that always happens when the opposition party takes one or both houses during a president's term will probably happen here: they'll begin to have investigations and hearings on alleged or implied improper behavior within that administration. Don't believe me? It happened with Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush during their tenures in office.
As a post-script to this article, my friend Barry, unable at the time to submit a comment on Blogger, e-mailed me a comment regarding yesterday's article. He considered my analogy in it between the election campaign and competitive sports to be inapt and also questioned that I would wave at those people on street corners supporting candidates or issues that I disagreed with. To the first difference I would say that no analogy is perfect; you can always find some point where it breaks down. But being a "good sport" is a life-lesson that children are supposed to be taught at home and at school. And exhibiting gracious behavior toward one's opponent in the face of fierce competition is a crucial element of that good sportsmanship that later in life becomes a crucial social skill useful in many areas, not just in sports. Areas like, for example, adult personal relationships, the workplace, driving through traffic, conducting business either as consumer or provider, legal matters, and yes...politics (among many others).
As for the "waving"...to each his own, I suppose. I don't think, though, that me waving at someone who supports another candidate as he or she is waving at me is anything more than simple social courtesy. But each of us has our own hands to control as we see fit.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Elections, Voting, Sportsmanship, Duality
As Melissa and I went over our sample ballots to determine (or review) how each of us were going to vote today, I recalled the torrent of dire programming on television I have witnessed in recent weeks, particularly on the politically diametrically-opposed news channels MSNBC and Fox News. I also have a pretty good memory of previous elections when one side seemed to be of the mindset that by taking back control of one or more houses of Congress they would be taking the country back from that awful, nasty other side (who were supposedly screwing everything up).
The Republicans are certain to take over the U.S. House of Representatives in January because of today's elections and the Democrats are probably going to maintain narrow control over the Senate. This will change the dynamics of national government, especially now that the prevailing administration has to contend with the opposition party being in power in one of the legislative branches. I will accept the election results and go on with my life, but unfortunately, many others are in perpetual campaign mode. The day after the 2010 election to them just signals the start of the 2012 election campaign season.
When I drive past supporters of various candidates and referenda, they wave at me and I wave back, regardless whether I plan to vote their way. They are fellow Americans who believe in what they are doing and are participating in the process. I respect them for that. I don't regard the candidates I vote against as the "enemy", but apparently many others do. I don't regard people I know who support the "other side" as being stupid or misled, but I know others with this attitude. I feel that they need to get a sense of perspective on things.
It's fine to get passionate about voting and caring for your candidate and party. But it's also important to exercise some restraint and show compassion and respect for those you disagree with. It's similar in sports: A team or athlete prepares hard for an event. During the actual contest, each side tries as much as possible to defeat the other. But after it is over, both sides come together on the field or court and greet and congratulate each other in a good-natured spirit of sportsmanship. This sportsmanship has all but disappeared in the area of politics, and it doesn't bode well for our future.
If everyone is in perpetual campaign mode, then there will never be any time for the compromises and deal-making necessary to get anything done in elected legislative bodies. We elect people to represent us but then won't stand back afterward and let them do what we elected them to do.
Let's bring back the duality of passionately supporting our candidates and positions while respecting and working with the "other side". We can all be Americans who believe strongly in the correctness of our views and at the same time try to understand in a sympathetic way the views of those who disagree with us. How about starting now?
The Republicans are certain to take over the U.S. House of Representatives in January because of today's elections and the Democrats are probably going to maintain narrow control over the Senate. This will change the dynamics of national government, especially now that the prevailing administration has to contend with the opposition party being in power in one of the legislative branches. I will accept the election results and go on with my life, but unfortunately, many others are in perpetual campaign mode. The day after the 2010 election to them just signals the start of the 2012 election campaign season.
When I drive past supporters of various candidates and referenda, they wave at me and I wave back, regardless whether I plan to vote their way. They are fellow Americans who believe in what they are doing and are participating in the process. I respect them for that. I don't regard the candidates I vote against as the "enemy", but apparently many others do. I don't regard people I know who support the "other side" as being stupid or misled, but I know others with this attitude. I feel that they need to get a sense of perspective on things.
It's fine to get passionate about voting and caring for your candidate and party. But it's also important to exercise some restraint and show compassion and respect for those you disagree with. It's similar in sports: A team or athlete prepares hard for an event. During the actual contest, each side tries as much as possible to defeat the other. But after it is over, both sides come together on the field or court and greet and congratulate each other in a good-natured spirit of sportsmanship. This sportsmanship has all but disappeared in the area of politics, and it doesn't bode well for our future.
If everyone is in perpetual campaign mode, then there will never be any time for the compromises and deal-making necessary to get anything done in elected legislative bodies. We elect people to represent us but then won't stand back afterward and let them do what we elected them to do.
Let's bring back the duality of passionately supporting our candidates and positions while respecting and working with the "other side". We can all be Americans who believe strongly in the correctness of our views and at the same time try to understand in a sympathetic way the views of those who disagree with us. How about starting now?
Monday, November 1, 2010
My 20.54 Mile Training Run
Today I reached a distance running milestone by passing the 20-mile mark. I ran 20.54 miles with a time of 3:21:32. At the beginning, the temperature was 61 (O.K.) and the humidity was 92% (ugh). By the end, the temperature had risen to 77 (ugh) and the humidity had dropped to 51% (O.K.). Overall, the weather conditions, although no longer at excruciating summer levels of heat and humidity, were still unseasonal for early November and not very conducive to distance running. As was the case with my recent 18.39 mile run, I didn't enjoy it very much. I did seem to have more energy at my disposal, which may be partially due to my switch to Gatorade from Powerade Zero. But my legs ached badly toward the end. The recovery didn't go too well either, and I was more fatigued than usual.
I plan to take it easy for a couple of days and then resume running at a more moderate distance. I plan to run in a half-marathon race scheduled this coming Saturday in Gainesville, although I will not try to beat other runners. I'm just going for the experience.
I plan to take it easy for a couple of days and then resume running at a more moderate distance. I plan to run in a half-marathon race scheduled this coming Saturday in Gainesville, although I will not try to beat other runners. I'm just going for the experience.
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