Renewing Interest in Watching Tennis

My 86-year old father is mentally sharp as a tack, although he often complains that the rest of his body seems to be breaking down.  One of his passions, something that he has enjoyed for decades, is watching professional tennis on TV.  I remember as a teenager following players like Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Martina Navratilova, Billy Jean King, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Björn Borg in the 1970s, but once I moved away to live on my own I ceased to care about the sport.  So the years have passed and now it is 2013.  I talk regularly on the phone with my father, and he often brings up tennis.  He knows that I don't follow it, but still he speaks the names of various players and tournaments as if I know who and what he's talking about.  Well, I now feel I'm in a better position to hold my own in a tennis discussion with him because...

I already knew (from my dad) that the Australian Open was ongoing.  Favored Serena Williams had already been eliminated, and my father had already mentioned an upstart young American woman who had advanced far past her ranking.  On the men's side, my father favored Novak Djokovic over the others, which as it turns out is a good thing...he's the best player in the world right now! But I was only marginally aware of him until a few nights ago when I accidentally dozed off in front of the television with the channel on ESPN...and woke up in the wee hours of the morning to witness a live broadcast of an Australian Open semifinals match between Djokovic and fourth seeded David Ferrer.  Normally, I would have just dozed back off to sleep.  Instead I became entranced by the match and thought that maybe...just maybe, tennis wasn't all that boring to watch after all.  After Djokovic disposed of his opponent in straight sets, ESPN showed a replay of the final minutes in one of the women's semifinals pitting eventual champion Victoria Azarenka against that "upstart American" Sloane Stephens.  In one game, Azarenka had five match points against Stephens, including a double match point, but her young opponent managed to come from behind with incredible tenacity and win that game.  She eventually lost that match, but made a deep impression on me as someone who may end up ranked #1 in the not-to-distant future.

I also later saw the replay of the men's finals match between Djokovic and Andy Murray, which the former won with much more difficulty than he had in the semifinals. 

Tennis is something that I may find myself watching more of.  Of course, just knowing what I do now already greatly enhances the quality of the phone chats I have with my father.  But I also like the timelessness of the sport, something akin to baseball, where the athletes, coaches, fans, and officials aren't slaves to the clock...

Are L.A. Lakers Back on Track?

Last night I was watching a basketball game on TV.  There haven't been too many lately that have attracted my interest, but this one was special: the Los Angeles Lakers were hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder...and were slightly ahead early in the fourth quarter.  The Lakers were supposed to be the team to beat in the NBA this year after they acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.  But instead, they floundered and now find themselves on the outside of a playoff spot, several games under .500 with the regular season just past halfway over.  The problem with this team that has such a star lineup as the previous two, along with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace, has yet to figure out a way to work effectively together.  I know that the Miami Heat faced a similar situation a couple of years ago when they acquired LeBron James and Chris Bosh, but at least they were generally winning their games.  The Lakers have looked comparatively weaker.  But very recently, it has begun to look as if they are beginning to get their "mojo" back.  This game against the Thunder, which has the best record in the NBA, showed a different LA team: everyone playing in harmony!  I was stunned by their lead, and wondered whether they could hold it until the end of the game.

I happened to encounter this game while running on a treadmill (which sports a built-in television) at my workout gym.  I sometimes play a little game of my own and tell myself I'll keep running until a specific thing happens on a show I'm watching (usually its ending). So I vowed to stay on the treadmill until this game was over, although I had originally only intended to run a couple of miles.  Instead, when the shocking final score of "Lakers 105, Thunder 96" was flashed on the screen, I had covered four miles.  Thanks for the inspiration, team!

I used to despise the Lakers because one of their players, Andrew Bynum, displayed thuggish behavior during the playoffs a couple of years ago against a Dallas Mavericks player.  He's gone, and they still have a problematic member in World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, a player with a long trail of behavior problems.  Still, he seems to fit well with the others and I do think that Nash and Bryant are incredible players.  So I'm rooting for them now.  We'll just have to see how lasting this resurgence truly is.  They already just made a huge statement by beating the Thunder!

Goal, Project, Routine, Habit, Event, Review

I am 56 years old, and I have a long way to go.  No, I don't mean by this that I know that I will live to be very old; nobody really knows what the next day, or for that matter, even the next minute will bring.  No, I mean that, for where I am standing right here in my life, there are several areas that could stand improvement, some being in the zone of "dire" improvement.  Some of these areas can be observed by others, while some are internal in nature, not readily discerned.  But all have the same basic features in common when it comes to tackling them and making some lasting improvement. 

First, there is the goal.  Say, for example,  that I want to keep my home and car clean, uncluttered, and organized (this turns out to be one of those "dire", observable needs). I first have to recognize not only that I want to improve in this area, but also be more specific in my aims.  Then comes a plan of action, sure to spotlight the need for routines. But often the first thing to do is an initial project...

Before working to maintain my home area, I first need to undertake the major, time consuming task of overhauling the mess I've built up over the years.  This project is not necessarily something that can always be broken down to daily routines.  Rather, large blocks of time often have to be set to get this work done.  In other areas, it isn't necessarily time that is a factor: obtaining the necessary equipment and tools for the goal is often a prerequisite.  Once that initial project has been completed, though, it is time to institute routines...

Routines are regular actions I take, and for which I record my progress, that are designed to improve the area of my goal.  So when I spend time and effort working on my car, in my yard, or house (and especially that cluttered garage), I time myself and write down time spent, along with the nature of the activity.  Sometimes doing this before I plan out routines gives me a more realistic picture of what I am capable of doing, avoiding making unrealistic targets that set me up for failure.  Once these routines become a part of my unconscious behavior, they become habits...

Developing good habits is the ultimately successful outcome in any self-improvement goal.  Because, after all, I am by definition trying improving my self, and I want the habits to be healthful and part of me.  But along with developed constructive habits goes something that, in my opinion, makes them more permanent: the event...

An event, or test, if you will, exposes the results of a self-improvement program, usually in a more public or social setting.  With keeping my home environment clean and in order, this might well mean having people over for company...even regular group meetings for various purposes.  In running, the event would be a public race.  Writing could be culminated in seeking publishing for money (this blog is automatically published and counts to me as more of a routine). Each area can have its own type of event that publicly demonstrates what has been accomplished.

Finally, there is one other stage to self-improvement, one that I think often gets neglected: review.  Looking back through my records (and memory) at my goals and their fulfillment (or lack thereof) can shed light on what is really important and what isn't.  It can lead the way to new goals or a redirection of old ones.  The problem with reviewing is that too often, no time is set aside to perform this necessary function. 

The goal, project, routine, habit, event, and review are each important elements within a program of self-improvement.  Taken together, they greatly enhance the prospects for success and personal empowerment...

The Running Tourist Thwarted

When I first became interested in entering the longer running races like marathons and half-marathons a few years ago, I naturally went on the blogosphere to see what other similarly interested folks were writing about the topic and their experiences.  One blogger, a woman a few years older than me, had just completed the Walt Disney World Marathon (I think it was January 2010).  She wasn't a fast runner and that didn't bother her a bit, something that I could definitely relate to.  Instead, while completing this theme park course she would take pictures of what was going on around her, effectively becoming a "running tourist".  I thought that this would a cool thing for me to take up, too.  I had just finished a local half-marathon, my first ever, and discovered by surfing the Net just how many there were nationwide.  I also had plans then of lengthening my distance to the marathon event.  Had I the free time and funds, this would have been a fun ongoing adventure.  But alas,  I am limited in what I can do.  Still, I have thought of taking pictures while in the races I do enter.  With poor results...

Take this last race I ran, the Ocala Half-Marathon, a few days ago.  I had thought about bringing my Kodak digital camera along, but instead opted for running with my cellphone and its camera.  Bad decision.  The few photos I took on it were too blurry to use.  Better to just strap on a fanny pack and take out the Kodak instead when a photo opportunity presents itself.  More than that, though, I found myself too caught up in the running to pay that much attention to my surrounding environment.  And the start of the race was relatively dark, anyway. 

The last time I was in Ocala running this course, I had been forced to walk much of it due to a leg injury.  I enjoyed the sightseeing, at least, and wished then I had carried a camera along.  But this time, the running changed my focus, even though I could have looked around more.  I wondered why I'm like this and then it dawned on me that when I am training, I am either running around my neighborhood, past house after house, or using the treadmill.  With the latter, I had better not look around too much or I'll lose my balance on the machine.  And with the former, I have been very careful not to look as if I am casing the neighborhood by gawking at other people's private residences.  So I generally look down the road instead.  Frankly, after all of these years of running past the same houses, I couldn't begin to describe what the great majority of them even look like...

So if and when I enter another half-marathon, I'll just strap on that fanny pack and whip out that Kodak.  And resurrect the running tourist...

Jerks on the Half-Marathon Course

Regarding Sunday's half-marathon I ran in, I noticed something again that had happened to me the previous half-marathon I participated in more than a year before.  At a relatively early time in the race (with this one it was around the five-mile mark), a male runner passed me...and then slowed down, as if he were trying to express something to me.  I, in turn, had to slow down and get behind him, because at that time runners were coming at me head-on in the opposite direction and he had essentially forced me into their path when he passed.  I think he knew this and deliberately pulled this stunt just to get my attention.  A little while down the road I passed him again...and then he would speed up and pass me...and then slow down.  This went on for miles.  He was changing his pace over and over again while I kept at a pretty constant rate.  Finally, toward the race's end, he seemed to be permanently behind me.  Until just as we were about to cross the finish line, when he suddenly sprinted full-throttle past me and crossed the finish line.  I meant to ask him after the race what all this b.s. of his was about, since he was obviously much younger than me and I looked like a pretty old dude.  But this creepy person had disappeared.  Later I found that he was in his early thirties by looking at the results. 

This guy obviously was trying to personally compete with me among the 262 runners entered, for reasons only he knows.  So he was competitive: I get it, this is a race, after all.   But had he done what I did and run at a more challenging pace for himself, he would have been perfectly capable of running five to ten minutes faster.  I myself was spent at the end, with no capacity to sprint to the finish line.  So he, in my opinion, is little more than a coward in his sport, too chicken-**it to take a chance and see what's he's really made of.  Instead he picks a "fight" with a complete stranger who is old enough to have been his father...

A similar instance occurred at the DeLeon Springs Half-Marathon I ran back in January 2012.  Another runner decided to do this same coy act on the course of speeding up and then slowing down for me to pass him.  And then sprint past me at the end.  Another dude who could have finished much faster had he decided to gut it out like a real man and not pick a contest with another entrant who wasn't even in on the "joke". 

Lance Armstrong and the Competitive Psyche

The news is out, not that it's really news, as far as I am concerned.  Lance Armstrong has finally admitted to all sorts of illegal drug use in order to gain an unfair advantage over his opponents in bicycle racing.  In each of the seven Tour de France competitions that he won, Armstrong was doping himself up, according to his own words expressed in a recently released interview with Oprah Winfrey.  But I already knew the dude had been doing this: many witnesses, including his own teammates, had testified to this fact already.  It is annoying, but I suppose also human for someone to belligerently and repeatedly deny their guilt even when confronted with the facts.  That, though, isn't what this article is about.  It's about the competitive psyche of folks like Armstrong.

I think it can possibly be a dangerous lure for someone to have just enough talent in an athletic area that they can catch "competitive fever" and go all out for that championship in whatever sport they happen to be involved with.  I see people involved in running who are like this.  I'm not one of them because I'm not all that talented.  But others are consumed with competition, and it is from these that a few are so fanatical and single-minded about winning that they will cut any corner, violate any rule, in order to get their "victory fix".  I don't personally know of any athletes who have crossed the line into illicit doping, but at least in the sport of running I know of some who define themselves in terms of how fast their times are.  Needless to say, I don't "qualify" to be in the same company.

That doesn't mean, though, that I don't care how fast I run my races.  Before yesterday's Ocala Half-Marathon that I ran in, I set the bar pretty low for myself as far as personal goals were concerned: just finish the danged race without having to walk!  But as the race developed, I found myself in a competitive cloud, trying to outpace other runners and finish fast.  Crossing that finish line was in itself important, to be sure, but at the moment it happened I was keenly aware of my finishing time as well! So I have a competitive streak within me, too.  But although I tend to get caught up in the fervor while the race is on and sometimes brag a little if I finish relatively well, I don't enter races with the view of beating others or setting personal records.  And the thought of cheating by using banned substances defeats the whole purpose of it all, since (1) I'm not in a class where my results would matter to others beyond myself or closest friends and family and (2) (more importantly) using those substances would be tantamount to getting on a bicycle and whizzing by the other runners while proclaiming myself faster than them, an idiotic notion. And, of course, there are the ethical ramifications of cheating.
 
Sports are games, and as such shouldn't be taken so seriously.  But there are some people how don't know how to lighten up and take the significance of "their" sport into perspective.  They seem to have an issue with self-esteem, with winning a prerequisite to feeling good about oneself.  But when they win, more often then not they are arrogant about it, as if this means that they are better than others.  I remember a lot of this in high school, and my track team had some real athletic snobs on it.  It's no wonder, in fact, that with all of the performance-enhancing chemicals floating around in the black market, that many athletes at the top of their sport would jump at the chance to gain an edge...and "matter", at least in their own minds. Of course, the fact that the big money to be made in sports is usually reserved for the very top performers is an aggravating factor leading to illegal doping...

Happy With Ocala Half-Marathon Experience

This morning I ran the Ocala Half-Marathon, marking the second time in three years I've gone down there (in 2011 I entered their marathon).  This time I wanted simply to enjoy running the course to completion, something impossible the last time when a leg injury forced me to walk much of the distance.  And it was a resounding success as I finished the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour 55 minutes 20 seconds, pretty much tying my personal record for this distance.  The fact that the course was very hilly made this time surprising to me, along with fact that I hadn't run this far at one time since I ran the DeLeon Springs Half-Marathon on New Years Day 2012. Here are the results from the event's website.

The starting temperature at the 7:15 AM starting time was in the mid-fifties and rose to around 70 by the race's completion.  The humidity was high throughout (a negative), but the sky was mostly overcast (a definite positive, eliminating sunrise glare).  I had loaded up by eating a whole pizza the night before and had plenty of energy to sustain me throughout.

The folks who organized this event, along with the volunteers and other runners, were all friendly and easy to talk with.  I have no complaints on any front (well, maybe one about one of the runners) and plan to enter the Ocala Half-Marathon next year...as long as my health holds up, that is.

I credit much of my running success in this race to the fact that, although I rarely did long training runs, I still amassed a lot of mileage by running twice on many days.  I also lost some weight in the process, and that no doubt helped me to "drag" my body though 13.1 miles...

2013 Ocala Half-Marathon Almost Here

As the number of days before this Sunday's Ocala Half-Marathon dwindles, I am trying to train in the best possible way to avoid any injuries while maintaining my running endurance level.  The two seem to run contrary to each other, though.  If I run too much, that increases the risk of a strain or pull.  That's what happened in 2011 when I trained too much in the two weeks before the Ocala Marathon; I was in pain for most of that race, having to walk the past seven miles with an IT-band injury.  But the way I see it, after my recent nearly-eleven mile run to see if I could handle the race distance of 13.1 miles, just sticking to what I have been doing is probably the best way to success.  After all, I won't be losing endurance this way...

I will run moderately short distances on Saturday and Monday.  That should help both in pre-race readiness and in post-race recovery.  I am not trying to beat anyone and, quite frankly, am not very concerned with my personal finishing time.  Just being able to run in this event, which features some pretty scenic views and back roads, is a treat.  I'll be happy just covering the race course successfully to completion, running this time across the finish line (instead of walking).

List Madness: Kasabian Songs Rated From Top To Bottom

Kasabian is a British alternative rock band that has made four albums in the past eight years.  I first heard their music in 2005 when my local alternative rock radio station (which has since abandoned that genre) frequently played their hit Club Foot.  Not particularly liking this piece at the time, I ignored them until the next song they played a few months later: L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever).  And then the following song was even better: Reason is Treason.  All three were from their debut eponymous album.  Later I acquired their subsequent works and have developed quite an attachment to their music.  Instead of repeating information about the band's members, here is a link to the article in Wikipedia.

Lately, Kasabian has become the band that I predominantly listen to, especially while out running.  So I decided to do what I've done with other musical acts and list their songs according to my liking.  Please note, though, that ALL of their material is good, even that #45 track!

Following each song's listing is a letter standing for the album it's from: [k] Kasabian, [e] Empire, [w] West Ryder Lunatic Asylum, and [v] Velociraptor!.  The band is still intact, in fact trying to get a foothold in the United States market by touring over here.  Good luck to them!  Anyway, here's my highly subjective, personal list...

1 Fire [w]
2 Me Plus One [e]
3 Test Transmission [k]
4 Secret Alphabets [w]
5 Days Are Forgotten [v]
6 Sun Rise Light Flies [e]
7 Reason is Treason [k]
8 I Hear Voices [v]
9 L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) [k]
10 Velociraptor! [v]
11 Switchblade Smiles [v]
12 Processed Beats [k]
13 Stuntman [e]
14 Butcher Blues [k]
15 Where Did All the Love Go [w]
16 Pinch Roller/Cutt Off [k]
17 Empire [e]
18 Swarfiga [w]
19 Running Battle [k]
20 Last Trip (In Flight) [e]
21 Shoot the Runner [e]
22 Fast Fuse [w]
23 Ovary Stripe [k]
24 I.D./Orange [k]
25 Re-Wired [v]
26 Let's Roll Just Like We Used To [v]
27 Club Foot [k]
28 British Legion [e]
29 By My Side [e]
30 Underdog [w]
31 Seek & Destroy [e]
32 Apnoea [e]
33 Thick as Thieves [w]
34 Happiness [w]
35 Vlad the Impaler [w]
36 Take Aim [w]
37 West Ryder Silver Bullet [w]
38 U Boat [k]
39 The Doberman [e]
40 Man of Simple Pleasures [v]
41 Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter From the Storm) [v]
42 Neon Noon [v]
43 Goodbye Kiss [v]
44 Ladies & Gentlemen, Roll the Dice [w]
45 La Feé Verte [v]

Twilight 10.84 Mile Run

Yesterday at twilight, with the temperature at an unseasonably unpleasant 79 degrees, I set out on what I determined would be a test run.  Testing what, you might ask.  Testing my ability to withstand a 13.1 mile run, I might answer.  For I intend to register and run in the Ocala Half-Marathon, scheduled to take place this coming Sunday morning, January 20.  But first I had to see how I did on a longer-than-usual run. I had been amassing some impressive mileage recently but they were split runs.  I had to see what I could do in a single run...

As it turned out, I had nothing to be worried about.  I ran 10.84 miles and could have gone further had the nighttime poor visibility not made more running nearly impossible.  I had been concerned about hitting an "energy wall" when I would be too exhausted to finish.  That had happened to me a couple of years ago at about the 20-mile mark when I was training for the marathon.  But no energy wall this time; I just felt sore, which was to be expected since I hadn't covered this distance in nearly a year.  So now I'm waiting to see how well I recover from yesterday's run.  Today I ran 2.38 miles around my neighborhood and will most likely run a couple more on the treadmill later tonight.  Then, if I still feel good, I'll sign up for the race.  Should be fun.

I should have a easier go at it on race day morning, the way I see it.  For one, it should be cooler.  For another, I will have done my "carb-loading" the day before and should have more energy reserved for this race.  I have been wanting to return to the site of my painful 2011 marathon finish, when an IT-band injury compelled me to walk the last 7 miles of the 26.2 mile race.  This time I'm sticking with the half-marathon event, although the course is, for all purposes, the same, albeit without a repeated loop and a detour in the early goings...

NFL Now Down to Conference Title Games

The National Football League divisional playoffs are finished, so now we are left with the conference championship games to be decided next Sunday.  And then the winners will go on to the Super Bowl to determine the champion for this year.  I have had mixed results regarding my preferences (not necessarily the best teams) and their "survival".  This weekend saw me go 2-2 with the games: Green Bay sadly lost out to San Francisco and Houston (which I don't like anyway) fell to my nemesis New England (I'm a Miami Dolphins fan, understand).  On the plus side, though, the two teams I liked the most, Atlanta and Baltimore, won their games against Seattle and Denver, respectively (although the emotional theatrics demonstrated by the Ravens' soon-to-retire linebacker Ray Lewis were embarrassing, to put it diplomatically).  Oh by the way, you Denver fans...

I am still beside myself about the horrible way that the Denver Bronco management, in particular John Elway, treated Tim Tebow after he heroically lead his team from last place to division champion and a spot in the playoffs they had been missing out on for years.  Then to top it off, he led his team to a win against the then-defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round.  They lost in the division playoff round the next week.  And now we come to this year and Tebow's replacement, "Mister Perfect" Peyton Manning, who was supposed to be their certain ticket to the Super Bowl.  But guess what? They didn't advance any further in the playoffs then Tebow's team and are now OUT!!! Whoopee! I hope they NEVER make it to the Super Bowl after the way they treated ol' Timmy...

For the remaining teams, here are my personal preferences:

1-Baltimore Ravens
2-Atlanta Falcons
3-San Francisco 49ers
4-New England Patriots

But it won't exactly hurt my feeling if "my" teams lose and those pesky Pats win it all.  After all, at least they had the decency to avoid going undefeated this year...

Don't Give Up, But Change is O.K.

As I wrote in a letter to a loved one recently, a sign posted very visibly in the workout room of my local 24-hour gym (by the treadmills) gives the famous Winston Churchill quote "Never, never, never give up".  It is intended to be a motivational tool for the members as they work hard to get in shape.  I'm on board with it, too, but with one caveat...

Yes, determination usually pays off with our goals.  Keep trying and eventually there should be a positive payoff.  It helps, also, to be focused on one's goals with specific outcomes in mind, to be completed according to a timetable, however loosely that is devised.  Time should be allotted as well, giving a regular period when priority is given to working on the goals in question.  Good and well, I say.  But...

Sometimes, as goals are pursued, it becomes increasingly apparent that they really aren't the ones worth pursuing, and they change. This changing of goals to things more worthwhile isn't a violation of Churchill's exortation, though: it is a sign of maturity, not an indication of "giving" up, but rather "growing" up...

Unpleasantly Warm, Muggy Weather and My Running

I am quite beside myself with the state of the "winter" weather here in northern Florida.  Every day it's muggy and warm, not exactly conducive to the type of long, pleasant runs I had been anticipating for now.  Instead, I am left with the choice of building up my mileage by combining two separate runs: one in the morning pounding the streets of my neighborhood and then one late night after work, in my 24-hour workout gym on a treadmill.  Together I have been putting up impressive numbers (for myself) and am on pace to surpass last month's total.  Still, I would gladly trade that second treadmill run for a longer morning run in the cool, dry January air that used to exist in a bygone age.  Apparently it does not anymore, and from what I have seen on weather reports, no relief is in sight.

Surveillance Nation

There used to be an ethic in this country, at least perfunctorily adhered to, that it was a virtue to mind one's own business and live and let live.  But it seems that lately, and this may be partially due to 9/11 and a heightened sense of insecurity among the population, that as long as anyone sets foot outside their own front door, they are sure to come under scrutiny and surveillance.  It can also be argued that we have little privacy within our own homes, either, because of the unwelcome fact that practically anything we do on the Internet, on our own private computers inside our own formerly private domiciles, is subject to being traced.  And if we have cable, even what we watch on TV can be traced by the cable company; they even drive around neighborhoods with their "sweep analyzers" checking out homes to make sure no one is watching any "unauthorized" channels. But the saddest thing about it is that if I belabor this overwhelming loss of privacy and dignity to others, than I stand the risk of sounding like one of those paranoid ranters who see conspiracies everywhere and usually focus on them as being exclusively directed at themselves.  But I don't subscribe to this delusional thinking; I'm just reporting what I see.

It has come to the point with me that, regardless the circumstance I find myself in, I have a peripheral awareness of sources of surveillance around me.  I walk into a store and check for the security cameras, often well concealed.  Most traffic lights I pass beneath have their cameras pointing down into my car. My workplace is so loaded with surveillance and "scrutinizers" that it sometimes feels that even my private thoughts are being scanned.  Even at church of all places, I can't just face forward with my thoughts without someone from the praise and worship team staring down at me from the stage.  And my cell phone, with its GPS feature, can pinpoint and broadcast my exact spot on the map to "concerned" parties, whether I like it or not.

Needless to say, as I sit here at my favorite Starbucks in Magnolia Parke on 39th Avenue, where I have been a regular customer since it opened in 2000, there is a handy-dandy surveillance camera above recording me.  Just in case I'm one of those dangerous types, I suppose...   

Second Thoughts on Racing As 15K Event Approaches

Having recently expressed how little I want to participate in public running races, I may have to backtrack on that a bit as I consider entering a 15K (9.3 miles) race on the 26th of this month.  It's the Newnan's Lake 15K, which takes place around...Newnan's Lake, a relatively large lake due east of Gainesville.  The scenery there is reportedly very pretty, so maybe I'll get to run in a race that is pleasing to my eyes for a change.  I just completed a pretty easy eight-mile run yesterday, so tacking on an extra mile or so doesn't seem like anything that should cause me problems.  Since I'm not going to run in any half-marathons for a while, this race may be one of the last chances I have this year to run a race of reasonable distance (instead of those overcrowded, too-short 5K events).  Maybe I'll take along my digital camera for this one as I play the role of "running tourist".

I would like someday to go back to half-marathons, and think that this will eventually come to fruition.  The FivePoints half-marathon here in Gainesville will take place at a time that I'll be out of town, anyway (mid-February), so any question of my participation in it is a moot point, anyway.  But next year?  We'll see...

Another Great Dreary Day Run

Today it was dreary and overcast, with occasional drizzles and heavier rain into the evening.  It reminded me of that strange Christmas day in 2010 when, after first hesitating to go running due to forecasts of rain coupled with an annoying smoky haze settled over the area, I decided to try it anyway, amassing 20 miles before running out of energy just before the rain began to fall heavily (and the sky was nearly pitch black).  It was 63 degrees at about 3 PM when I set out on my more modest run today, intending to cover 4 or 5 miles around my neighborhood.  But there was something about the dark ambiance that appealed to me and I kept extending my run until I finished with 8.05 miles, the longest distance I have run at one time since April 9 of last year, when I covered 10 miles.  I felt that I could have matched that today as well but didn't want to push myself too hard. 

At the beginning of today's run, the weather was dry.  But about halfway through, rain began to drizzle lightly, lasting until I had finished.  The rain was a rather pleasant experience, I have to admit.  I can't remember when I have last run during a downpour: maybe I should deliberately try a short run when the next one happens to see how it goes for me...

It may seem to be a contradiction that I tend to pace myself faster when the sun is beating down on me, while I want to keep running and running when it's so grey and dark.  But running long and running fast are really two different things:  I like the endurance aspect of this activity more...

Churchill Optimism Quote

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.       ---Winston Churchill

A few weeks ago I wrote someone about this quote, which I think accomplishes the three-fold requirement of an enduring piece of wisdom: it's short, it's catchy, and above all, it's applicable to just about any area in our lives.  Churchill was speaking from the context of a wartime leader, and his people were enduring severe hardship as the enemy was bombing British cities, their economy was under strict rationing, and their soldiers were putting their lives on the line for their country.  In the midst of this situation, it would be only too easy to become negative and dwell on the surrounding difficulty.  But I know people around me who are living in affluence but can only find things to complain about how their lives are going.  When they grumble, it makes me wonder just how much they themselves contributed to their state of relative wealth, and how much they instead are benefiting from the work and sacrifice of others.  Because with an realistically optimistic attitude, I believe, comes one of gratitude and proactivity.

For me to have a "rosy" view of the future, I need to believe that I have an element of choice as to how I personally can contribute to its shaping.  For me to just remain passive and expect things to "work themselves out" would tend, or so it seems, to cause me to adopt a more pessimistic mindset in the long run.  Besides, a busy person, centered in the present moment, has little time to be gloomy about things.  Especially when there is so much cool stuff to do and experience!

GOP Clueless, Sticks With Boehner

I wish that the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives, which apparently has little desire to follow or respect its Speaker John Boehner, would have just selected someone else whose leadership skills they respected, or at least feared.  Instead, it looks as if part of our federal government will continue to be under the dominion of a bunch of extremists who will do everything they can to ensure that this country of mine declines...just so that they can then proclaim Barack Obama to be a failure as a president.  But wait, they've already done that, haven't they, even after he was just reelected.  Then again, though, as I have predicted beforehand, we're hearing that his  reelection was "stolen", wasn't it?

More of crybaby, profane John to come.

God help us...

This Year's Chick-fil-A and Sugar Bowls

I've been watching some of these season-ending football games, and with most of them I couldn't care less who won.  Take New Year's Eve's Chick-fil-A bowl in Atlanta between Louisiana State and Clemson.  I was confronted with this game on my television screen as being "the" football game available to watch, so I arbitrarily chose LSU to root for.  But as the game wore on, I came to admire Clemson, especially their talented and determined quarterback Tajh Boyd. It was also becoming apparent as the game progressed that, although the LSU team seemed to possess more overall talent and size than their opponent, they seemed to be more poorly coached.  Finally, I switched my allegiance completely to Clemson when the LSU coach foolishly called three consecutive passing plays (all incomplete, each stopping the clock) late in the game when they were protecting a two-point lead and were supposedly trying to run out the clock.  Clemson got the ball back, drove down the field (largely due to the intrepid Mr. Boyd) and kicked a game-winning field goal with time running out. I felt good about Clemson's victory although I had pulled against them for most of the game.  As for this bowl's sponsors, not only do I resent them changing the name of this game from the Peach Bowl to one exclusively of a corporate entity, but I also quickly tired of those endless Chick-fil-A commercials that were supposed to be funny.  But I don't see anything funny about a company whose leaders funnel some of their profits into a homophobic political agenda under the cover of religious doctrine.  Don't expect to see me anywhere near one of their restaurants anytime soon... 

Tonight the Sugar Bowl pits my Florida Gators against the Louisville Cardinals.  I'll be working so I won't be able to see this game, one where I actually care who wins.  Although many see this game as a mismatch with Florida heavily favored, I know better: the Gators have tended this year to play to the level of their opponent, be it higher or lower.  Expect a close game tonight, with Florida prevailing while people around wonder if they're really all that good: that's the way it's been for them all season!

*******
Later...
The better team, Louisville, won 33-23.  Still, I am proud of Florida's improvement this year and look forward to more progress next year!

My Favorite Songs of 2012

Well, 2012 is ending and I suppose it's time for me to list my favorite songs of the year.  You may notice, however, that few of the songs listed are current: these are songs that I enjoyed listening to in 2012, not those that received radio play or promotion.  As a matter of fact, I have deliberately shunned radio music, as it all pretty much sucks.  So those great musical celebrities I see on TV that I'm supposed to be interested in following...well, most of their "monster" hits I've never heard!  And I don't care to hear them, either...

My focus of musical interest in 2012 was pretty much restricted to five acts: the now defunct Gorillaz, Beck (who hasn't released anything new in five years), Linkin Park, Regina Spektor, and Kasabian.  Of these Regina and Kasabian have the most recent releases with songs on my list.  My current favorite act to listen to is Kasabian, an England alternative rock band that has released four albums so far.  I plan to list all of these songs in a future article, ranked from best to least liked. 

Here's my list of personal favorites spanning 2012:

1 Firewood by Regina Spektor
2 Fire by Kasabian
3 Open by Regina Spektor
4 Me Plus One by Kasabian
5 Blackout by Linkin Park
6 Test Transmission by Kasabian
7 Think I'm In Love by Beck
8 Novacane by Beck
9 Secret Alphabets by Kasabian
10 Days Are Forgotten by Kasabian
11 "Messing" With My Head by Beck (euphemistically retitled by me)
12 Sun Rise Light Flies by Kasabian
13 Pay No Mind by Beck
14 Dead Melodies by Beck
15 Wretches and Kings by Linkin Park
16 Timebomb by Beck
17 Reason is Treason by Kasabian
18 I Hear Voices by Kasabian
19 To Binge by Gorillaz
20 Small Town Moon by Regina Spektor
21 L.S.F. by Kasabian
22 Motorcade by Beck
23 Youthless by Beck
24 Veliceraptor! by Kasabian
25 Beercan by Beck
26 Lost Cause by Beck
27 Butcher Blues by Kasabian
28 Empire by Kasabian
29 Jackass by Beck
30 Stuntman by Kasabian

And were I to name an Album of the Year, I'd have to go with Regina Spektor's What We Saw From the Cheap Seats.  But all of Kasabian's albums are quite impressive, too... 

My December 2012 Running Report

In December, my total mileage skyrocketed, far beyond my monthly goal of 100 miles.  I just finished a relatively short 3.25 mile run, giving me a month's total of 155.63 miles.  This means, of course, that I averaged just over five miles per day.  However, although I did put in some "long" runs (7.5 was my longest), much of the increase in mileage was due to me running twice on many days, in the morning and then late nights after work.  The convenience of a 24-hour workout gym with treadmills, combined with cooler temperatures and lower humidity for the outdoor runs, facilitated my increase.  I ran every day in December, now making my daily running streak 245 days. 

Although there were some public running races offered in December, I begged off entering them due to the simple lack of satisfaction I get anymore from participating in public races.  For one, I don't dig paying the progressively more expensive fees to register for them.  Also, the constraints imposed on me with the time and place of a race run counter to my freedom the rest of the time to choose when and where I will run.  But most of all, I discern a sense of unwillingness on the part of other participants to be more sociable.  Instead they seem emotionally insulated and clannish.  Who knows, though, maybe I just need to try a few more times and see if I can't break into some of their "circles".  That being said, I still have no plans for entering any races next month...

NFL Dolphins, Giants, Tebow, Season Ending

With one week left to go in the National Football League regular season, my two favorite teams both seem destined to miss the playoffs.  With the Miami Dolphins, this fate has sadly become the expected norm each year, although they very well could be sporting a 10-5 record instead of their actual mediocre 7-8 had some very close games not slipped away from them.  Yet I feel optimism, for a change, about their future because of their new coach Joe Philbin and rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill.  They also have a chance at finishing at .500 this year should they beat New England in their final game (but not likely).  We'll see how things go next year.  But the other team I support, the New York Giants, have gone into a tailspin after leading their division most of the season.  Now they are on the outside-looking-in as far as an available playoff position is concerned.  And yet, they were in the same improbable situation for getting into the playoffs last year and ended up winning the Super Bowl!  So I can't count them out until they are mathematically eliminated...

It looks as if Tim Tebow will be leaving the New York Jets after this season, possibly ending up at Jacksonville.  The Jaguars, who could have traded for him after Denver signed future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning, would have filled their stadium for the Gator Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion.  Instead, the Jaguars chose to go with a second-rate quarterback in Chad Henne and now sport the worst record in the NFL.  I expect poor decisions from them in the future as well, so I'm a bit skeptical right now of Tebow ending up there.  As for Tim's short tenure with the Jets, I don't know what this franchise was thinking by trading for him and refusing to use him all season, even in the face of an extremely dismal year by their starting QB Mark Sanchez.  I used to like their coach Rex Ryan, but now I think the dude should be fired (doubtless to resurface on another team). Not only did he blow it with Tebow, but he also allows an atmosphere of open dissension on the team, with players commonly speaking out to the press against each other and their coaches...

Emphasizing Private Journaling Over Public Blogging

It's been a while since I've posted an entry to this blog.  There are various reasons for this, but the main one is that I have entered a more introspective period in my life.  I want to write, but not in such a public forum, as I have some personal issues I want to write about in a private journal.  The writing discipline continues for me, but the writing is taking place elsewhere.  This doesn't mean that I won't occasionally make an entry here from time to time.  But for this season, at least, I wouldn't count on seeing regular articles on this site.  Not that they won't pick up at some time in the future...

Lesson from Lord of the Rings

I have been watching my DVD collection of Lord of the Rings lately.  In a movie series of this scope, there are many new aspects to the story and its presentation that reveal themselves to me with each viewing, and it is fun to make new discoveries.  But one thing that struck me from the first time I ever saw it (and this isn't quite so apparent in the book) is the sense of epic importance that the present moment, the "now", so to speak, held for most of the story.  If the protagonists didn't focus intently on whatever happened to be immediately before them, then not only would their futures be in peril, but often also the future of Middle-Earth (author J.R.R. Tolkien's name for his fantasy planet).  The movies' extended version tended to mitigate this almost constant sense of urgent crisis by adding some scenes that gave some (usually humorous) respite to the drama.  But the more commonly-shown edited version is very, very intense.  And that brings to me a lesson of sorts that I can choose to follow.

The lesson is this: I may not be living in a time and place when and where the fate of the world hinges on my actions from one minute to the next.  But the fact still remains that this IS MY life, my one shot at it in fact, and it is only through this present moment that I can live through it and make a difference.  Maybe my choices won't have a gigantic instant effect on this often sorry world I live in, but they can contribute down the line to something better. Maybe I should just step up to the "now" and increase my intensity a couple of levels!

I am looking forward to watching The Hobbit when it comes out in theaters soon.  I hope that Peter Jackson, the movie's director, has been careful to include all of the book's events (something he failed in with his Lord of the Rings undertaking, as good as the final product was). For there is another big lesson from this tale as well, a lesson that the earlier animated version of The Hobbit completely omitted... 

I can't put off fulfilling my aspirations until "later": NOW is the only time guaranteed me, and it's "about time" I realize that on a deeper level...

News Flash: Found Empty Seat at My Nearby Starbucks

I am sitting here on a dreary, cool morning here at the Magnolia Parke Starbucks writing this, from my preferred seat at the long, narrow counter facing the parking lot window.  My routine, which used to entail early morning visits here to write and study, changed a few months ago.  Then it was relatively easy to find a seat.  Now, though, I usually stop by (and much less often) in the early afternoon and as often as not can't find anywhere to sit, with all of the coffee-shop-squatters and their laptops/notebooks dug in by that time.  So instead I've become a regular customer at Donut Connection just down the road and never have a seating problem there.  Their brewed coffee is just as good (I tend to stay away from the espresso bar concoctions anyway) and their sweets put Starbucks to shame.  Still, today the opportunity presented itself for me to get down here a little earlier and...lo and behold, my "spot" was available!

I love this weather, as long as it doesn't rain, that is.  This, to me, is prime running weather, so maybe I'll just climb down from this high chair and get ready for a nice jaunt around the neighborhood...

****
Three hours later...
I went out running like I said I would, only the dryness had changed to a light drizzle.  Still, it was a very pleasant four mile run...

December Mugginess, Leaves, and the Blowers

Just when I think that December will bring about cooler, wintry weather conditions favorable to outside running here in Gainesville, it gets warm and muggy.  Yesterday I was looking at my local 24-hour weather station and the screen gave the current temperature at 81 degrees, with the forecast high for the day of 78! They also predicted some light showers in the evening.  Instead, what really happened was torrential rain and a thunderstorm.  Not that we couldn't use some rain: in general, northern Florida has been more prone to drought in recent years, causing a forest fire hazard.  Still, I wonder what's going on with the weather forecasting here...

The trees at least seem to think that winter is approaching.  I was walking around the block with Melissa the other day when we passed a house possessing a large maple in its front yard.  The presumed owner was out there meticulously vacuuming up some of the myriad fallen maple leaves that he had carefully gathered up in a large pile.  I looked up, though, and saw that the tree was still loaded with many browned leaves, some of which were falling as we passed by.  I noted to Melissa that this guy's yard, after he had finished clearing it out for today, would be covered again with leaves tomorrow.  She confirmed this to me the next day when she went on another walk. 

Gathering leaves at this time, raking them in, and putting them in containers may seem like an exercise in futility, at least until the trees shedding them are completely bare.  But those doing this earn much more appreciation from me than those obnoxious leaf-blowers.  These folks have a limited, territorial view of their "home" that ends on the other side of the street in front of their house.  I have seen different neighbors blowing fallen leaves out of their own yards onto the street...and then stand there in the middle of the street with their leaf-blowers and blow them to the opposite curb, directly in front of their neighbors' houses!  I even once ran by one of these people and he continued blowing leaves directly at me as I passed!  Nice guy...

Proud of Son Graduating College

Yesterday my son Will graduated from the University of North Florida with his Bachelor of Arts degree, and doing so with magna cum laude honors.  I am very proud of him and know that, whatever he decides to do in the future, if he pursues his dreams with the perseverance and character which he exhibited with his undergraduate education, he will be successful and happy!  Way to go, Will!

December Business Picking Up

Once again, I've reached the time of the year when business drastically picks up where I work.  I may not be writing quite as often on this blog as I have been, at least until things settle back down.  In any event, I'm doing fine and hope you are too!

Tried a 7.5 Mile Run Today

Seeing that I just might be running in a 9.3-mile (15K) race next Saturday (see yesterday's article), I thought I'd see what it would be like to approach that distance, which I haven't run in many months.  So I ran 7.5 miles a few hours ago without too much difficulty.  But I didn't enjoy it and thought that pushing that kind of distance at this time in my life might just NOT be a good idea.  So I have decided to keep my distances at a lower level.  I may participate in 5K and 10K races in the near future (December has some 5K races around town).  But the main thing is that I will be going back to my earlier training regimen...

Upcoming 15K Race: Should I Enter?

This year I skipped Gainesville's Tom Walker Half-Marathon, which took place earlier this morning.  I ran it last year and enjoyed it, setting a personal record for half-marathons.  The race takes place on the Hawthorne Trail, southeast of Gainesville.  But next Saturday morning, the Season of Hope 15K (9.3 miles) will be held at the same location.  This distance, which would be a challenge, is still in my range of allowable distances, albeit on the far end.  Should I sign up and run it?

Since I am passing up on half-marathons for the foreseeable future, this type of event might represent a good substitute choice.  Still, it was such a grind getting up early in the morning this past Thanksgiving just to run that 10K race!  Is my memory beginning to erode on me?

Well, the registration deadline is December 6, so I have some time to mull it over.  I think I could handle the distance, even though I haven't covered nine miles in several months.  In the meantime, I'll continue to train on the same level I have been...

My November 2012 Running Report

In November, my running mileage increased dramatically.  I easily topped my 100-mile goal with 136.84 total miles for the month.  My longest run was 6.27 miles, and I ran on every day, bringing my personal record running streak to 214 straight days of running.  During November, I participated in one race: Gainesville's Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot, a 10K run held at Tacachale. 

I credit the cooler temperatures, along with easier access to a 24-hour gym, with enabling me to increase my running.   I look ahead to December, though, and see all kinds of obstacles laid before me that could inhibit my running.  But we'll see where the upcoming month takes me, one run at a time...

The Movie Lincoln: My Reaction

Thanksgiving evening I saw the movie Lincoln.  Here's my reaction...

I thought that, generally speaking, the movie successfully conveyed both the personality of Abraham Lincoln and his surroundings:  the tension involved in being a wartime president, a war inside his own country (as opposed to the trend the past several decades), and dealing with problematic elements within his own family life.  I thought that Daniel Day-Lewis, whose other movies I missed seeing, was wonderful and compelling in his portrayal of the sixteenth president.  On the other hand, Sally Field just looked like Sally Field pretending to be Mary Todd Lincoln.  Similarly, Tommy Lee Jones played firebrand Radical Republican congressman Thaddeus Stevens with (unintentionally) humorous results.  The African-American characters in the movie were one-dimensional holy paragons of civil rights virtue, making pronouncements and speeches left and right.  I get it: the focus in Lincoln was the waning weeks of his first term when he was pushing Congress to pass the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a provision that would abolish slavery nationwide. 

The politics of the time, combined with the winding down of the Civil War and various sometimes colorful and obstinate personalities, are woven into the movie around the central character: Abraham Lincoln, of course.  I enjoyed the experience and feel I learned some history as well.  The only problem with presentations like this, though, is in determining which parts were history and which parts were fictional embellishments...

Planning on Longer Training Runs

I feel like increasing my daily running distance, and consequently my monthly goals.  Part of the reason for this may be the cooler, more hospitable weather.  Part may be the better access I have to a gym with a treadmill (this current one open 168 hours/week).  And part just may be that, dang it, I simply like to run longer distances!  In November, I am already running longer.

I'm not talking about a major change to much longer runs...just a mile more per day, more or less.  But sure, every now and then I'd like to do a long run...maybe a ten miler down some of the old course that I had devised a couple of years ago when I trained for the marathon.  I doubt that I'll ever return to marathon running or training, but something more modest like half-marathons is still a strong dream to look forward to...

Gators Go 11-1, Expect Sugar Bowl Berth

The final weekend of the regular season in college football has come and gone, and with mixed (but still overall favorable) results for the University of Florida.  The Gators, although ranked ahead of their opponent, cross-state rival Florida State, were listed as seven point underdogs to the Seminoles.  Florida, however, overcame the odds and beat FSU Saturday afternoon 37-26, virtually guaranteeing them a major BCS bowl game (probably the Sugar Bowl) and keeping them at least temporarily in the hunt for a spot in the national championship game.  But alas, Notre Dame, which had to lose to USC in the evening game to keep this hope going, played a good game and won 22-13.  This set up a title contest between them and whoever wins the SEC championship game this coming Saturday between Alabama and Georgia. 

My congratulations go out to Florida head coach Will Muschamp and the entire Gator team for this fine 11-1 season.  They certainly exceeded my expectations for them. 

Mathematics: The Art of Being Careful

Lately I have been reviewing some of the old mathematics that I learned (and subsequently forgot) in decades gone by.  I'm going chapter-by-chapter in the Schaums series, right now appropriately at a "beginner's" level for me: pre-calculus.  I have been making a daily routine of doing problem(s) from the book and am now on the fourth chapter.  The problems in the Schaums series are explained and solved, so should I have difficulty in one of them, I can read the solution and return to it, (re)learning in the process.  But besides becoming reacquainted with math, I have also found that I derive the same degree of pleasure from successfully solving a problem that I get from doing sudoku, kakuro, cryptograms, Jumbles, or other puzzles.  And in all of these, there is one overriding principle: in order to solve any of them, I have to be very careful in the steps I take!

As a matter of fact, I might just argue that mathematics in itself is the art of being careful. Back when I was in mathematics classes at school, careless mistakes in my assignments counted against me, but the teacher also usually gave "partial credit" if it appeared that I had grasped the general principles of the concepts involved.  Looking back on it, I think that was a mistake.  One cannot truly develop a skill in anything, especially mathematics, without making accuracy and mistake avoidance an absolute priority.  Carefulness must become an ingrained habit.  On the other hand, whizzing through problems and dismissing sections of instruction because they seem intuitively obvious are not only counterproductive: they are in themselves examples of carelessness!

Big Day in Football Tomorrow for Gators, Noles, Irish

Tomorrow afternoon Florida will play Florida State (football) in Tallahassee to essentially see which team gets to go to one of the major BCS bowls around New Year's.  Should the Gators prevail, they would most likely get an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl.  I don't know where the Seminoles would go...it could also be the Sugar Bowl, against some SEC team like LSU, the Alabama/Georgia loser, or Texas A&M.  But maybe the winner won't go to one of these bowls, because...

Later Saturday night, undefeated and #1 ranked Notre Dame plays USC to finish out their regular season.  Should the Fighting Irish win, they will almost certainly play the Alabama/Georgia winner in the national championship game.  But should the Trojans pull off the upset, the other team playing for the title would be the highest ranked team left in the BCS polls.  And the consensus is that Florida, with a win against FSU, would be that team.  Florida State fans also entertain some hope that by beating UF, they would leapfrog in the polls over other SEC teams and Oregon to be in that exalted contest. 

Regardless of the outcomes tomorrow, both Florida and Florida State have had excellent seasons.  Will Muschamp and Jimbo Fisher are good coaches who know how to build competitive teams from the inside out, emphasizing control of the line of scrimmage.  The fans should support them both and be patient through the inevitably tough seasons that will crop up from time to time in the future...

Ran 10K Turkey Trot in Gainesville

This morning I ran the 10K Turkey Trot running race at Tacachale here in Gainesville.  Tacachale, formerly known as Sunland Training Center, is a spacious residential center for the disabled.  It is also gated, meaning that although the course I ran there today is wonderful, it is off-limits to me for training runs.  Still, I enjoyed this race, which I ran at my usual pace, finishing at 53:10.  The starting temperature was about 45 degrees with 80% humidity.  

Well, enjoying it may not have exactly been the appropriate word.  I actually felt pretty tired and out of sorts before the race, wondering to myself at the time why I was putting myself through such torture.  But the race itself came off pretty well...

I may not be in such a big hurry to enter any more races anytime soon.  I think it's a personality thing.  I by nature am a solitary runner and relish it that way.  I also don't feel that I have to prove anything to anyone.  I couldn't care less whether anyone thinks that I am a fast runner or not.  Plus, I don't care to spend $25-35 each race in entry fees, basically in order to do something that I could just as easily accomplish by stepping out of my front door and running down my neighborhood streets...

Companies Getting Too Political Against "Obamacare"

I have expressed my views before about the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's signature piece of legislative accomplishment during his first term in office.  Although I felt that health insurance reform was necessary and that everyone needed access to affordable health care in order to have preventive screenings and regular physician visits while not being denied service due to pre-existing conditions, I was disappointed with the final, signed bill for being too burdensome on businesses.  Other countries have a marked competitive advantage over us because they have lifted the burden of providing health insurance off the backs of business and put it in the proper place of a government-run operation, funded by (the taboo word) taxes.  But since we're not allowed to utter that awful word anymore in the good ol' U.S.A., except immediately following the word "lower",  the lawmakers had to mandate that the business community expand its obligations in this area.  So I sympathize a bit with the business owners and management.  But what has been going on recently in the media, this close following the 2012 presidential election results, is another matter entirely...

I am a little taken aback at the very highly politicized and publicized outcry against Obama by different businesses that depend on positive advertising and the general public's goodwill for their survival.  Companies like Papa John's, Dairy Queen, Applebee's, and Denny's, either through their centralized command structure or franchisees in various locations, are strongly coming out against "Obamacare", and in a very hurtful manner.  These companies apparently were gaining a competitive advantage over others for years by exploiting their own work force with poor benefits.  Now they have to own up and don't want to.  The Denny's franchisee in Palm Beach County, Florida has declared that his restaurants will add an "Obamacare surcharge" to be printed on every bill.  H-m-m...wasn't it Denny's who has suffered public scandal in different places for not serving blacks who came into their places for a meal?  I have an idea: let's just make it easy on Denny's and the other aggrieved companies:

FLAT-OUT BOYCOTT THEM!

I don't care whether the whiners are local franchise owners or not: they are benefiting from the parent company's name and product.  So the parent company needs to step up and assert themselves.

No more Applebee's, Papa John's, Dairy Queen, or Denny's for me.  Not that I've ever cared that much for Papa John's or Dairy Queen, but I have been a pretty good customer for the other two (especially Applebee's). No longer. Any other businesses want to join the list?  I'm ready to sign them up and spread the word against them...

Sixty-two million Americans just reaffirmed the presidency of Barack Obama, the first term of whom was marked by his Affordable Care Act, and these business people can't handle it.  I don't have a problem with price hikes; new laws often dictate such a necessary course of action.  But I will not play along with the political manipulation here.  I've had to put up with enough during the past election campaign!  So these people lost their precious election and didn't get their boy Romney in there to coddle them and suck up to their interests.  Ironically, had the business community wised up and supported the government-run single payer system being proposed a few years ago, they could have been relieved of health insurance burdens for their employees.  I say give all these babies pacifiers and put them on extended quiet time!

Florida Gators Still in National Title Hunt

Continuing along with the theme of my last article, the national title hopes of the Florida Gators football team are still alive.  I can't say that about many other teams, either.  The new BCS poll came out today and Florida is now ranked #4, behind Notre Dame, Alabama, and Georgia in that order.  If Florida should manage to beat cross-state rival Florida State next Saturday, then they will automatically move up at least one spot since (1) they would have beaten another top ten-ranked team, giving them a stronger strength of schedule and (2) Alabama and Georgia will play for the conference title, insuring that one of them would lose and fall behind the Gators in the rankings.  That would leave only undefeated Notre Dame, who would have to lose to Southern Cal on the road next Saturday in order for the scenario to give Florida a national championship game opportunity come true.  And should it happen, in all improbability, that they made it that far, UF would be facing another Southeastern Conference school, either Alabama or Georgia in that national championship game.

But they have to beat FSU next week to have any chance at all...

Gator Pigskin Title Hopes Still Alive

Today my University of Florida football team once again showed its inclination to plod on through unimpressively against opponents that it should have no trouble with whatsoever.  This time it was against small college Jacksonville State, whom the Gators defeated 23-0.  But although the victory was clear, the way Florida did it wasn't very awe-inspiring.  In fact, when you consider that they could only score one offensive touchdown the entire game, it gets a bit scary...

Still, amazingly, after four straight games in which they showed little beyond a second-division level of mediocrity, Florida stands at 10-1, is #6 in the BCS rankings, and has a chance to play in a major bowl should they beat #10 Florida State (on the road) in their final regular season game (good luck with that).  What is extremely amazing, though, is that after today's other major college games, they actually (believe it or not) still have a shot at playing for the national championship!

Before today, I said to others that for the Gators to get a shot at the national title, five things had to happen:

1: Kansas State had to lose
2: Oregon had to lose
3: Notre Dame had to lose
4: Alabama had to win out and beat Georgia in the SEC title game
5: Florida had to beat FSU

Well, numbers one and two incredibly came true as the top two ranked teams went down to upset defeats tonight.  That leaves Notre Dame as the only undefeated team (not on probation, sorry Ohio State) in the major college football pool.  They could, though, lose their final game to USC next week (in Los Angeles, hooray)...well, maybe, USC isn't all that good.  Alabama probably WILL keep winning, a good thing for Florida.  And can Florida beat Florida State on the road?  Who knows, we'll just have to see...

Covered 10K Distance in Training Run

I'm still planning on running the 10K (6.2 miles) Turkey Trot race here in Gainesville this coming Thanksgiving morning.  On my training run this morning, I started out with the intention of just doing 3.34 miles.  But the conditions were very pleasant (56 degrees, 74% humidity) and I felt energetic.  So I decided to try to cover my upcoming race distance.  I ended up running 6.27 miles with a time of 53:37 (at my usual pace).  Although I've run much longer distances regularly in the past, this run represents the longest I've covered since July.  So I now feel very confident and enthusiastic about Thanksgiving's race on November 22.

Secession and Racism

If there ever was any doubt that racism is a factor in the hostility against Barack Obama for having the nerve to become president, and then doubly so for getting himself reelected, there shouldn't be any more after citizens from forty states petitioned for secession from the United States.  In case you're not up on your history, the other time anything like this happened was during James Buchanan's lame duck period as president in the weeks following Abraham Lincoln's election.  You know, the Abraham Lincoln who was opposed to slavery and regarded blacks as human beings (see Spielberg's movie if this is confusing you).  Those opposed to seeing blacks as human beings with legitimate human rights weren't taking any chances with a Lincoln presidency and most of the slaveholding states seceded before he had even entered office. 

So let me try to put myself in the position of today's secessionists: let's see...Jimmy Carter gets elected and we don't like his typically liberal Democratic Party policies.  O.K., we'll oppose him next election but we'll respect the recent election results because he's wh___. Bill Clinton gets elected and we don't like his typically liberal Democratic Party policies. O.K., we'll oppose him next election but we'll accept the recent election results because he's wh___.  Barack Obama gets elected and pursues typically liberal Democratic Party policies.  But wait a minute, he's not wh___ and we can't say that "other" word about "his kind" anymore so we'll say he's a muslimsocialistforeigner.  And we're leaving the country!

How else could anyone read our modern-time secessionists' motives?

Loose Dog Alley

I like dogs.  They are cute and usually emotionally bonded to people.  I've owned at least one since 1987 and grew up with another. But I know that dogs are sometimes violent and attack people.  Around my neighborhood, some residents keep their very scary, nasty sounding (and looking) ferocious animals behind fences.  When I am on one of my runs, they usually remind me of their presence with some threatening growls and barks.  But they are restrained...and I feel safe.  There is one block in my neighborhood, however, that, practically every time I run down it, has a dog running around loose.  This stretch of residential road apparently has some incredibly indifferent dog-owners who have personal issues about inflicting their beasts on anyone happening to pass by their house.  First, there's Jake, a large grey mixed breed dog with a scary appearance but a friendly disposition.  Still, when he sees me and he is out loose, Jake tries to jump on me, follows me home, and even tries to come into my house.  Not fun.  There is another house where I saw a man walking by on the public street  having a scare from a large white dog loose in the front yard, who looked as if he were going to attack him.  Then I ran by and the angry dog turned its attention to me.  Fortunately, both of us managed to slip on by without somehow enraging this already disturbed animal into action.  Thanks a lot, inconsiderate owner!  And then there is another dog, if it really is a dog.  This guy I've seen a couple of times.  It looks like an overweight chihuahua mutant, has a very angry bark, and when it notices that whoever it is barking at isn't impressed and is still walking or running by, it suddenly sprints away full-speed down the very long block (and around the corner).  I think that's pretty smart on its part, for a dog like that has no business confronting anyone in public. 

We have a law in our area requiring dog owners to restrain their pets, but unfortunately some of my neighbors either don't care or deliberately want to set their dog out on people passing by their house.  But it's not THEIR street; it's everyone's, and they damned better keep their precious little monsters restrained if they don't want animal control knocking on their doors in the future...

Aggressively Loud People I Encounter

There is a certain individual in my life, someone whose presence I could probably do well without.  The good thing is that there is usually only a very brief period in my day that I encounter him.  The bad thing is that this individual is completely out of control with his speech, going off on loud, obnoxious and insulting rants about politics.  That I am diametrically opposed to his political "philosophy", which he seems to have assembled from FoxRepublicanNews talking points, makes this necessary exposure to his drivel that much more unpleasant.  And he's loud, one of those people who think that EVERYONE in the room needs to hear what he's saying, to the point where no one can even hear their own thoughts.  Yes, this is one obnoxious, unpleasant dude.  Yet...

Today I was sitting in a local fast food eatery having lunch and trying to read a little before having to go to work (and probably have to listen to the aforementioned jerk).  I didn't expect quiet conditions, but still it was very unpleasant because another person in the back of the dining area was loudly shooting off his opinions to someone standing right next to him.  There was no need to bellow out his words; he was obviously imposing his opinions on everyone present whether they wanted to hear them or not.  As it turned out with this guy, I happened to agree with almost everything he said.  But I was still offended at his attitude and verbal aggression.

"Avoid loud and aggressive people: they are vexatious to the spirit."  That is a line from Max Erhmann's celebrated Desiderata and is advice well worth taking.  I could have taken my food outside today, but I cannot completely avoid this other character...

2004 and 2012 Elections Show Similar Reactions By Losers

There is shock, shock I say, spread throughout the conservatives in this country who voted for Mitt Romney and were convinced that their "guy" was going to be swept into office in a landslide over Barack Obama.  After all, their media sources predicted it, didn't they?  Yes, that's an example of what can happen if you get yourself into a feedback loop and keep getting the same information from "supportive" sources without any independent verification (or refutation).  But I'm not looking down on my fellow conservatives, some of whom seem to be quite distraught.  After all, I got myself caught up in a similar experience in 2004.

Toward election day in 2004, the Democratic Party challenger to incumbent George W. Bush, John Kerry, was mounting a heroic, tough final campaign surge.  And the polls seem to bear out (at least some of them) that he may have caught up with his Republican rival.  On election day, especially in the decisive swing state of Ohio, positive voter exit polls further gave the impression that Kerry indeed was on his way to victory.  But, as was the case with Romney, a funny thing happened on the way to Kerry's election: it didn't happen, and the incumbent edged him out.  Yes, I was very discouraged over this turn of events.  But I accepted the results and wanted for Mr. Bush to do better in his second term (I was later disappointed).

All I can say is that you win some and you lose some.  I believe that both candidates in both elections loved America and sincerely thought that they had the best program for the nation.  I also believe that this should be recognized by ALL, even those who voted against them.  Instead, I sadly see an increasing polarization among the people: when their party is out of power (regardless which party that happens to be), somehow, for too many, they act as if their country has been taken over by the enemy.  And that, my dear friends, is a very unpatriotic and antidemocratic attitude to foster!

Champagne Time for '72 Dolphins Old-Timers

In the National Football League, the Atlanta Falcons lost to the New Orleans Saints today, 31-27.  So what does that have to do with the Miami Dolphins, my "favorite" team?  Everything, especially seeing that the 2012 edition of the Dolphins just got their butts kicked, at home, by a supposedly inferior Tennessee Titans team, 37-3.  So the Falcons loss just increases in importance as I desperately try to cling to something positive about my team.

In 1972, the Dolphins went undefeated both in the regular season and the playoffs.  No team has since accomplished this, although the New England Patriots came too damned close in 2007.  This year, the last undefeated team left was Atlanta...that is, until New Orleans took care of them a few hours ago.  So, the '72 old-timers on the Dolphins are probably somewhere celebrating with their champagne, like they've been doing on an annual basis whenever the last undefeated team goes down to defeat for the first time. 

This year wasn't too bad, with no undefeated season scares.  I like the Falcons and dislike the Saints, so it was a bit uncomfortable to go against my inclinations just to preserve the Dolphins' record.  Whew, now I can go back to rooting straight-out for the teams I like! Go Falcons and their great QB Matt Ryan!

Signed Up for 10K Race, Running Mileage Increasing

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I was considering entering an upcoming middle-distance running race, the 10K Turkey Trot to take place Thanksgiving morning here in Gainesville.  Today I went down to Lloyd Clarke Sports on NW 13th Street (US 441) and registered for it.  So I'll be doing only my third race of 2012 (although I believe I could have done more).  Of course, what I really want to do is start running half-marathons again.  But even if don't run in any official 13.1-mile races, I can still train on my own with longer-distance runs.  After all, the weather has become very runner-friendly of late.  Today I stepped out of my front door at one in the afternoon and ran 3.83 miles, immensely enjoying the 70 degree temperature and sub-40 % humidity.  Also, lately I have increased the use of my local 24-hour gym, often running on the treadmill there around the midnight hour after getting off from work. And later today I may go there for my second training run of the day, something else I am doing more of these days.

Without having initially intending it, I have greatly increased my running mileage so far in November, still running every day while averaging about 4.5 miles per day.  I don't know whether this rate will increase or not, but since I'm just taking things one day at a time, I'll let the future take care of itself...

Gone Are the Comments

I recently decided to disable comments on this blog.  There are some good (to me) reasons for this.  One, I am sick to death of getting saccharine, meaninglessly terse comments that are almost always linked to a business website.  Two, the few people who actually read this blog and have historically made pertinent comments either have my e-mail address or personally know me and can simply tell me person-to-person what their reaction is to any particular article.

Once, in a more naive and innocent time of my blogging adventure, I held the notion that readers who were even personal strangers to me, spread across the country or even the world, would read articles that interested them and would then express their own points in comments, to which I could then respond and thus establish a pretty cool open dialogue.  But after five-plus years with this blog, I have sadly concluded that there are NO such people in this sorry world of mine. 

So, gone are the comments!  Either you already know me or you don't: The way is shut (what movie is that from)...

Upcoming 10K Race in Gainesville on Thanksgiving

I am considering entering my first running race since July 4's three-mile Melon Run.  The Turkey Trot, appropriately being held on Thanksgiving morning, November 22, is a 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) event, well within my capabilities.  The location will be on the Tacachale campus in the northeastern part of Gainesville.  It should be fun.  Unless Michael Bloomberg decides to cancel it, that is.

The weather has finally turned to lower temperatures and humidity, with my running much more pleasant.  I still don't plan to run in half-marathons, but I should have plenty of opportunities in the next few months to participate in other events, up to 15K distances...

My "Swing" State Becoming Irrelevant to Election

I live in Florida, one of the crucial "swing" states in the presidential election, along with Ohio, Virginia, and Colorado.  As it happened this year, the election was decided by those other states with Florida's final result, which as of this writing has yet to be determined, only representing an interesting historical footnote.  But that's how it is with swing states.  Either you're the nation's focus in a close race, like Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, or nobody cares about which way you end up going after all the votes are tallied (this year).  On the other hand, the question of who ends up winning Florida will probably count in the future as people look back and try to discern voting trends.

I Voted: It is Done

At about nine this morning, I cast my ballot for president and the other assorted races and issues.  So as far as I'm concerned, it's done.  I only had to wait about an hour in line; had I come in a little later--say eleven--the wait would probably have been a lot shorter.  Still, no complaints here as I'm sure others either having to vote late in the afternoon/early evening or who live in less voter-friendly precincts will have experienced some tedious, especially long waits before the day is done. 

Like I said, as far as I'm concerned, it's done.  I am not going to get emotionally involved over the returns tonight, along with the accompanying mind-numbing analysis.  I've even entertained the notion of trying to see how long I can remain ignorant of the results!  Maybe my candidate will win, maybe not.  But I do know one thing: even though the election results will no doubt effect my life down the road, for better or for worse, how I personally choose to live each day will have a much greater impact on my future and that of my family than whether "Goofus" or "Gallant" gets in there...

My Election Recommendation

On this day before the big presidential election, it's time for me to give my recommendation: vote for ________ (YOU fill in the blank).  I myself have made up my mind a long time ago as to how I'll be voting.  My choice, in all honesty, is primarily based on my own, personal interests: the "other guy", if elected will in all likelihood work to destroy my job and retirement.  I can submerge this feeling and pretend to be voting based on some philosophical pretext or on a more general level of the "national interest", but I won't.  Maybe that's selfish of me, but then again, maybe that's how you should be voting, too. 

I'm hearing too much of this overgeneralized, ideological blather on the campaign trail.  Voters should ignore it and instead research how each candidate's election would directly affect THEM.  Not their neighbors, not the country in general, and not some abstracted, easily manipulated idea of "history". 

The biggest danger I see in this election is for people to ignore their own best interests and vote for a candidate and party based on either emotional factors, phony ideological constructs, or a misplaced sense of national patriotism that has been contrived to ultimately serve the ends of special interests.  Instead, vote for your own interests, which to you should be truly special!

Finally Over Nick Saban's Desertion of the Dolphins

Although I have no intention of becoming a University of Alabama Crimson Tide football fan, I have finally gotten over my sense of betrayal at their current head coach, Nick Saban.  He abandoned his job of coaching the Miami Dolphins in mid-contract to take on the Alabama post when the latter offered him a shamelessly exorbitant offer.  I still have a problem with coaches who hop from job to job, never staying in one place long enough to establish any sense of tradition there.  With Saban, the effect was compounded by the way he framed himself as a man of character, even writing a book on the subject.  But he has at least stuck with his present position at Alabama (this is his sixth year there) and harping on him doesn't do anything to change the past.  Besides, he and his team may have unknowingly done my Florida Gators a favor last night...

In order for Florida to get to go to a major bowl game (like the Sugar Bowl), they would have to be the second-highest ranked team in the Southeastern Conference.  Had Alabama not made their dramatic last-minute comeback to defeat LSU last night, the Gators would probably have ended up behind both Alabama and the probable LSU/Georgia conference title game winner.  As it now stands, though, Alabama will most likely win the rest of their games, including the one against Georgia in that title game (Georgia has only to beat an unusually bad Auburn team to win their division).  Should this happen, Florida will in all likelihood be that #2 team, assuming they manage to beat cross-state rival Florida State in a few weeks.  Sounds complicated, right?

So maybe UF can avoid playing Saban's Crimson Tide and end up with a great final ranking.  I didn't like Saban, a great coach, leaving Miami like that in late 2006.  But I wish he had at least gone on to a school that wasn't in the same conference as Florida (Urban Meyer "correctly" went on to coach the Big Ten's Ohio State while Steve Spurrier "incorrectly" landed at UF's divisional rival South Carolina).   Still, I have made my peace about the matter and have forgiven the dude, who never really ever did anything against me, anyway...

NYC Marathon Just Cancelled

Last night, while I was at work, New York City's mayor Michael Bloomberg finally came to his senses and cancelled the New York City Marathon that was going to take place this Sunday. It would have been a strange sight, with many locals cut off with no transportation and needing food and water...while thousands of runners pour in to the town, accompanied by volunteers helping them (not the people living around in dire need).  I guess they couldn't just postpone the event to another day, but to cancel or postpone it was obviously the way to go.  Why it took this long for the mayor to "get it" is beyond me.

They are still holding pro basketball and football games in the area.  I question this as well, but that doesn't make the marathon a good idea at this time...

NYC Marathon a Go in the Middle of Storm Recovery Efforts

I am a running enthusiast, a fact you should know if you've gotten anything from this blog.  And the New York City Marathon is an event that I would like to participate in some day, although the special circumstances of my health prohibit this in the immediate future.  Still, I share in the excitement others feel about preparing and running in this race, which goes through several of the boroughs in NYC for 26.2 miles. This year's marathon is scheduled for this coming Sunday, and I don't have to tell you that currently the effects of Hurricane Sandy are being felt in the Big Apple in a devastating way, with power still out in much of the city, widespread flooding, an inoperative subway system, a backlog of cancelled flights, and worst of all, thousands of residents stuck where they are without access to food and water.  Not a pretty picture.  Yet I understand that come hell or high water, the New York City Marathon WILL be held anyway in two days, dammit.

If this had been a terrorist attack on the order of 9/11 instead of a natural disaster, do you think anyone would think twice about postponing this race? Yet a hurricane of record monstrosity that directly and physically affected the entire northeastern section of the country is apparently nothing more than an inconvenience, as far as those organizing and promoting the marathon are concerned.  I have a two-part concern here.  One, how can a race participant run down streets in a city past buildings where people are suffering the effects of this storm?  And two, if I were a resident, even one who has had basic services restored and hadn't suffered personal loss, how could I look upon these runners as they pass by with anything less than scorn?

I don't understand New York's Mayor Bloomberg, who didn't even want the President to visit there "post-Sandy" because his presence might well interfere with recovery operations, if only unwittingly.  Yet he gives the go-ahead to this event, which will tie up already scarce resources and distract from efforts to help residents return to more normal, sustaining lives.

I just don't get it.

Bicycling and Running to Work

I have been riding my bicycle the eight miles to work for most of the last few Thursdays, and today was no exception.  So far, the weather has held up with no rainstorms around to drench me (although there have been a couple of close calls).  Today was more pleasant as the temperature was hovering around the 70 degree mark (noontime), a sign of autumn finally asserting its presence.  My renewing of bicycle riding, though, is due more to transportation glitches within my family that necessitate me lending my car out than to any resurgence of my enthusiasm in the activity.  Still, it is kind of fun to do this, although I have a lower back ache today that took away some of my enjoyment.

I always stop off, at around the six-mile mark on my route, at the Panera restaurant located at Archer Road near SW 34th Street.  There I order the same thing each time: coffee (I drink their hazelnut flavored brew), french onion soup, Caesar salad, and a cheese danish.  While I slowly consume my way through all this, I study foreign languages, read, plan things out...and even write an occasional blog article. 

I have entertained, at least in my mind, that is, the idea of running to work instead of bicycling.  I can always take a change of clothes to my workplace locker the night before so that I can freshen up after the run, just before starting work.  It's feasible, but with one potential snag: I haven't run for eight miles at a time in several months, although I feel that I am fully capable of it.  Anyway, there would be rest times built into the run since I'd have to stop and wait for green lights at various busy intersections from time to time...

My October '12 Running Report

Once again we've reached the end of a month and, as usual, here I am with my monthly running report.  I passed my goal of 100 miles/month with a total of 105.69 miles.  I also ran every day in October, bringing my personal record consecutive day running streak now to 184 days.  My longest run was a mere 5.3 miles, while the overwhelming number of runs were between 3 and 4 miles.

The weather, which for most of the month was unseasonably warm and (ugh) humid, took a much more pleasant turn in the last few days.  Today, for example, it was around noontime when I ran, with the temperature just 64 degrees and the humidity a blissful 29%.  Oh, for more of the same!  But alas, I AM in Florida, so most likely we'll go back into some unpleasantly warm weather...

Sandy About to Strike Northeastern U.S.

The massive three-headed storm now collectively known as Sandy is about to slam into the heavily populated northeastern U.S. coast in a few hours.  The storm rivals, even possibly exceeds, the scope of 1993's Storm of the Century that swept up the eastern American seaboard in March of that year.  I'm very concerned about this storm, which will be affecting an area and population that is certain to suffer severe damage, and tragically worse, casualties and possibly even deaths.  But even with just the sweeping and lengthy power outages, life may be very difficult is this massively urban area...

Weekend Sports, Downside and Upside

Being a follower of football and baseball, I had a few big games to keep up with this weekend.  Yesterday the undefeated and favored University of Florida Gators turned the ball over six times to rival Georgia en route to a tough 17-9 loss. Too bad, but they're a good team and should do well for the remainder of the season.   On the plus side, the San Francisco Giants, the team I'm pulling for in this year's baseball World Series, won and gained a 3-0 lead, with only a win to go to sweep their opponent the Detroit Tigers.  Then today came and with it two NFL contests concerning my favorite teams, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants.

Both teams were involved in contests with divisional rivals... and they won! The Dolphins' 30-9 victory over the New York Jets was more surprising because of their unexpected dominance.  Now Miami is solidly in second place in the AFC with a 4-3 record with good playoff prospects so far.  And the Giants outlasted their rival the Dallas Cowboys in a close game 29-24.  They are leading the NFC East with a 6-2 record.

Finally, the fourth World Series game just ended.  San Francisco's ten-inning win over Detroit gave them a Series sweep.  Whoopee!

I wouldn't be too concerned about the Gators with their loss, even though it may eventually keep them from playing Alabama for the SEC championship.  After all, just avoiding having to play Alabama may have been a desirable result...

Third Debate Raises My Doubts

Having already gone off against the exasperating still-undecided voter after all of this time they could have used to research and get to know the candidates in this 2012 presidential race, I got a taste of my own medicine a couple of days ago when I questioned my own voting decision.  The final debate between Obama and Romney had taken place the night before and I was surfing my radio in the early afternoon before work, searching desperately for SOMETHING decent to listen to.  Finally, I landed on 94.7, which was the frequency of a local low-powered station that offered alternative talk radio programming at that time of day.  In progress was a replay of that final debate, with one alteration. The show had two candidates from minor parties (a third,  the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson had declined) who answered each question after the president and etch-a-sketcher's responses.  They were Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the newly-formed Justice Party.  The "debate" wasn't between these two; they could have been each other's running mates for the mutual agreement in their responses, making me wonder why those forming the Justice Party didn't just join and strengthen the longer-established Green Party.

The upshot of it all was that I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing with the alternative candidates, dismayed that they will amass between them probably less than one per cent of the vote.  They both opposed the Affordable Care Act for pandering to insurance companies and overburdening private businesses, instead of the single payer system that I had long preferred.  They both decried the excessive militarism of our foreign policy, noting that the difference between the major two political parties was just a matter of degree.  I liked Stein more and thought that maybe I should just switch my vote over to her.  But then I thought that by doing so, I would be aiding Romney in this close swing state I'm living in.  Noam Chomsky decided to endorse the Green Party candidate, but then again Michael Moore and Howard Dean are enthusiastically supporting Obama's reelection.  So, for a little while I have been experiencing a little of this undecided fog myself, but in the end I think I'll just stick with my original intention.

I liked the ideas I heard on that debate, not by the main speakers but rather by the candidates who were denied nationwide exposure.  Maybe, though, a presidential election isn't the forum for me to express myself by voting for a minor party.  Instead, I can look at how the tea party movement formed and strengthened as a more ideological branch of the Republican Party during the electoral off-season (not that I would have any interest in pursuing their agenda).  Perhaps instead, this is the better way for me to make my beliefs known...