Dunkin' Treats and Song of the Month

 It's a pretty, clear, cool and windy day outside this afternoon on Halloween Eve, and I am now sitting in the dining room at my Chromebook writing this.  Melissa just drove me over to our nearby Dunkin' for some of their fancy coffee and a half dozen doughnuts, all set up while Jewel's big hit Standing Still was being piped through the store's sound system.  Afterwards, I finished my daily foreign language copying sentence-by-sentence...it's fun to see how much I can put together and derive meaning from.  So today I'll be mentioning my "song of the month"for October 2025: Garbage's There's No Future in Optimism.  It's the fourth straight month I've picked this British alternative rock group, fronted by Shirley Manson, for the honor.  Starting with the repeated phrase "If you're ready for love", Shirley then goes off on a message of standing firm in creative love in the face of social disruption and societal breakdown: the ultimate "drop out" song.  The most profound lines in it are, "There is no future that can't be designed

With some imagination and a beautiful mind"  The idea Is that none of us have to ride the momentum thatcan build up hatred, protest and adversityif we allow for that to happen...we can simply stop on a dime and turn around.  Since I don't see anything of value being released during the next two months in 2025, I'm guessing that There's No Future in Optimism will be my Song of the Year for 2025.  It's a song that I think the Beatles could have made into a hit back in 1969 had they not broken up and if George Harrison...whose voice resembled that of Manson's...had written it and promoted its recording.  After all, that was the time right after John Lennon proposed to Paul McCartney that the band members each contribute four tracks to their next album...and Paul was too exhausted from his daughter's recent birth to seriously consider it. I could have done well with the Fab Four remaining a unit and coming out with a few relatively mediocre albums over the next two or three years...oh, well.  As for Yours Truly, I am bent on recovery from my October 24th surgery, and am subsequently being stubborn in pushing for a better, longer, and higher-quality existence during the time left for me here on Earth.  God bless all of you...

October Dinginess at Starbucks

Please read this as a "mood" piece...

On this dingy, climatically unpleasant day in late October, I am sitting here at my nearest Starbucks, driven here by Melissa after the health care authorities at the hospital enjunctioned me against driving for a while. The business is slack and the workers are right now inactive, standing around talking.  I don't like the corporate music being piped through above me, but the cinnamon dolce latte Melissa ordered for me is very good.  I remember years ago when I could walk into this place and sit at a high black-top rectangular study table that resembled high school chemisty lab, quickly lighting into my reading and writing.  Coffee shops used to be good places to go to just sit and think, but in the most recent years I've usually felt the urge to get up and leave after only a few minutes there.  There's this creepy sense of being under someone else's negative scrutiny, and I'd rather be in a place that accommodates my desired privacy without any feeling of an impending deadline for the stay.  So sitting comfortably at home, my head leaning back on a soft pillow, seems more attractive: maybe I can slip into a nice nap!  On the other hand, why not just pass up on Starbucks and sit at the dining room table from here on? With my medical issues I don't see circumstances improving in the near future.  With me and my afflictions, at least for these recent times, my negative reactions have arisen from their treatment and not directly from the afflictions themselves.  So here I am at Starbucks, a recently-turned 69 year old man with a horribly hideous surgical scar streaking across the top of my head, just barely under the cover of hair.  Welcome, Halloween! I am grateful to be able to be at home, finally released from hospital confinement.  I can still exercise, which I do through no-impact movements that raise my heart rate to zone-like levels: that's good.  Well, I am committed to a light shower later on today, and then it's the couch for me.  I really deeply love and appreciate my dear Melissa, as well as our sweet, silly uptight mixed-breed rescue dog Daisy, who I call "Little Pee Wee"...

Recovering from Grave Brain Surgery: Life is Fragile

 No expectations.

I am retired, with a memory of colleagues who passed on soon after they finished their careers...one died while still employed and looking ahead to retirement.  Physically, I am in very good condition and have a lot of cardiovascular endurance.  Unfortunately, I have cancer.  Brain cancer.  And it seems to be terminal.  It wasn't diagnosed until exactly a week ago when Melissa drove me to the UF Health emergency room, where they did the ct-scan on my head that showed the golfball-size tumor.  Without ever going home, I was medically transported to the Shands Neurosurgery building off SW Archer Road.  The brain surgery was performed early Friday afternoon there by Dr. Koch and his able team.  The tumor's analysis confirmed its malignancy and aggressive nature. After experiencing an absolutely unncessary psychologically traumatic night in their intensive care unit under the control of bullying RN Antonio, I was deemed recovered enough to (gratefully) transfer to a "normal" med-surgical floor, where I stayed another night before being discharged yesterday.  I'm at home, now, very well-cared for by my sweet Melissa, and am sitting in the dining room typing on this Google Chromebook.  My plan is to take each day as it comes, speak frankly with love, and enjoy the life I have left coming to me.  It's fragile, way too fragile for my tastes!  So, I'm happy that the Dolphins, Dodgers, Buccaneers and Mississippi Rebels all won...but it would have been okay had they lost.  In my present life, my priority is to maintain myself in a positive mental attitude and to encourage recovery while minimizing my head pain without seeking any chemical dependence.  Peace is a wonderful thing, and I'm grateful that Melissa is here with me providing it..

Fatigue and Headaches Dampening Activity for Today

Yesterday, Sunday, was marked by raininess in my area.  I had entertained the notion of taking a brisk walk through the neighborhood, but felt sleepy early on and had a headache...probably stemming from the hormone injection I took a few weeks ago.  After finally awakening and walking about, I found the television choices to be too limited for my tastes: the channel selector blocked my ability to pick good, old Harry Potter features.  And the NFL football wasn't very attractive, either, with only the Dallas/Washington game offering any real enjoyment.  In the evening, that Toronto/Seattle playoff game wasn't very interesting, and it looked as if the Blue Jays were going to extend their series to a seventh and final game.  I'm sitting here a little past five in the morning with my K-cup of coffee and another headache after some fitful attempts at sleep last night...hope today brings more activity and better feelings.  The oncologist said that my hormone and radiation treatments could very well cause fatigue, but that I should intentionally be active in the face of the urge to avoid any physical exertion.  Looks as if I'll be doing some uncomfortable exercises (glad I mowed the yard Saturday)...

Sleepiness and Headaches, Probably Medically Induced, Cloud My Day

After attending church with Melissa this morning, we went to a nearby, very noisy Newberry restaurant for breakfast.  The French toast meal was delicious, but with my headaches and drowsiness I found myself in a state of wanting to curl up into a ball and sleep off the next few hours.  The church service itself, although conducted in good taste, was itself an ordeal to get through...I just wanted to sit back in my cushioned chair and close my eyes.  I think tomorrow, along with willing myself into doing some exercise, I'll make a visit to a local coffee shop for some study and, perhaps, writing.  And I'll make a point of studiously avoiding the propaganda TV channels designed to manipulate my feelings according to their biases.  Just keep brewing some coffee and sit at the table...and try to ignore the rain pouring down outside...

Speed-Walked 3/4 of Today's Depot Parkrun 5K

Early this morning just before sunrise, the temperature was a cool 55 degrees with a high 94% humidity.  Such were the conditions for today's Depot Parkrun 5K, held there just south of downtown Gainesville.  My focused intention for today's event was clear: walk briskly for the distance, no matter what my finishing time is.  I got down there, and for the first two laps I gave it an honest, good effort...but my "halfway" time was only 22:17 and I was starting to feel a little tired.  Still, I stuck it out walking the whole third lap. It was that final .7 mile for the last lap when I broke into a moderate run, picking up the pace as I approached the race's end.  I finished with a time of 43:09...you can view today's results by clicking HERE. Later on this morning, starting at ten, some local political malcontents are going to stage another anti-Trump protest rally, which I've heard erroneously equated with "democracy in action": the fools! I'm not going there, choosing instead to take a little break at my nearby Dunkin' store before heading back home to rest a little bit.  And then begins the rest of the day. As for today's Depot Parkrun, there were a lot of participants, and it all went pretty smooth.  The main thing is that I showed up and gave it a strong effort.  I wonder how many people attended today's West End Community Park Run: it's usually a lot fewer (and was, at 60)..

Another Anti-Trump Protest Rally Tomorrow Morning

 It looks as if, tomorrow morning around ten, Gainesville will once again be participating in the nationwide "no Kings" network of protest rallies.  The one here will take place at Cora Roberson Park on SW 6th Street near Depot Park.  I haven't yet decided whether to attend it.  Instead of carrying signs and making speeches, I think the wiser strategy depends on me conscientiously attending and voting in every available election, picking the candidate (or policy) that resonates the most with my felt political leanings (Democratic or Republican). I've resolved to stick with the Democratic candidates available on the ballot, and although I deplore the general apathy and lack of participation on the part of the electorate, the results speak for themselves.  If the Democrats do surprise everyone by taking back the House of Representatives and the US Senate in the 2026 November elections, I fully expect them to fail to take advantage of their victories when in power.  No, most likely they will start hearings critical of the Republicans' actions during the first two years of Trump's second term as president and to initiate legislation packed into stimulus mega-bills costing untold billions of dollars.  I don't watch FoxNews and don't plan to do so anytime soon.  My political ways are set, and although I'll continue to assess and vote, I won't let myself get bent out of shape over election results...   

While I Follow the Major League Baseball Playoffs on TV

 During the last few days I've been following the Major League Baseball postseason playoffs. Teams will win and teams will lose...my main focus is how each game unwinds, from an inning-to-inning perspective as the pitchers try to throw pitches that the hitting side cannot swing around. Right now it looks like the Los Angeles Dodgers, with their cast of ace starting pitchers headlined by lefty Blake Snell, are on the doorsteps of the World Series as they are only a victory away from sweeping into elimination the Milwaukee Brewers.  Whenever a Dodger hitter manages to get a double and he's standing happy on second base, he'll go into a celebratory routine of waving his arms and hands over his head while lightly swaying his hips from side to side. The whole act seems kind of dorky to me, but it also looks cute and helps me to want to root for this team to succeed. invariably, during a game I'll find myself pulling for one side to prevail.  It's when they're in the field that I sometimes find myself frustrated if "my' pitcher finds himself incapable of keeping his pitches within the strike zone. It's that lack of pitching placement control that makes me want to change the channel.  My team will either win or lose...I have no stake in the outcome, material or not.  But I have little patience for a player who seems bent on forfeiting his chances that he obviously had trained long and hard to optimize. And batters at this elevated level seem to be more savvy about avoiding swinging at pitches that tend to curve out of the strike zone.  An effective pitcher will test the limits to which he can place his pitches without being called for a ball, and challenging the batter to hit a pitch within the strike zone is definitely on the table as a viable strategy. You don't just stand there on the mound and load up the bases...    

Preparing for Upcoming Radiation Treatment

I went to my oncologist radiation office this morning to get sized up for the upcoming rounds of radiation treatment aimed at reducing, if not eliminating, the presence of residual microscopic cancer in the area of my body where my prostate used to be.  For me, the actual radiation sessions will take a back seat to the process of getting down there daily (and back) for seven weeks.  I've already been experiencing poor sleep and headaches from the hormone injection that is supposed to set up this radiation treatment. May it all come out well...

Talking Current Local Weather and Sports

 Here in northern Florida following our return from the recent cruise, the weather has mellowed a bit, with temperatures colder and the air dryer and more comfortable.  No recent rain either, and none is forecast for the near future.  My main issue has been avoiding intense sun glare.  Doesn't look like we'll be seeing any clouds providing the desired shade.  My recent overnight headaches have subsided considerably, temporarily or not.  I am seeking to return to a regular pattern of exercise while being more careful about what I eat.  Maybe a little later on I'll take a neighborhood walk, and then I'll see what's on TV regarding the baseball playoffs.  I have my preferences as to who wins them, but it's also all right, win or lose, if the games are played well.  I'll be happy whether Seattle, Toronto, Milwaukee or the Los Angeles Dodgers end up advancing to the World Series...they all had great 2025 seasons.  As for "my" local Florida Gators football team, struggling with a 2-4 record so far, they play their homecoming contest this Saturday against Mississippi State, a team they should be able to defeat with a strong performance.  Maybe the Gators will end up the regular season bowl-eligible.  In any event, it looks like head coach Billy Napier's final season at the helm.  Good...I don't expect UF to win the national title every year, but I do expect a higher level of play from them than I usually see.  Maybe next year we'll get a better coach...  

Back in Town from Cruise

Back in town from our week-long Caribbean cruise, I am adjusting to "regular" life here in Gainesville.  First things first: my Toyota car battery is dead, so I'll have to work on getting the vehicle running again.  Also, the final few mornings on the cruise had me waking up with headaches, some of them slow in going away as the day progressed.  This morning my headaches were difficult and I'm still experiencing them to an extent...they've been interfering with my sleep quality.  I think the reason for the pain is most likely due to side effects from my recent (oncologist-prescribed) hormone shot.  The cruise itself was a mix of fun and annoyance.  For one thing, each day I had to work on "getting through the day" by being at certain places by certain times.  Whenever the ship docked into port somewhere, the question was whether Melissa and I would go ashore and possibly even take up on one of their excursions.  In CuraÇao we paid for a trolley tour of the capital city of Williamstad.  It was miserably hot and muggy, not a breeze anywhere among the searing sun.  We did step out the next day in Aruba, walking a bit down the streets and doing a little shopping.  For the final stops at Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic and at CocoCay in the Bahamas, we remained on our boat.  The Dominican excursion turned out to be nothing more than a slipshod, cruddy reduced theme park and CocoCay happened in the middle of a prolonged rainstorm.  I thought the people working the cruise were helpful and friendly.  We liked the food and I enjoyed the Starbucks on board for their caramel macchiatos and chai tea lattes. I did use the ship's fitness center treadmill for some speed-walking training.  But I never tried its rock climbing feature, nor did we ever venture into one of the usually-packed swimming pools.  I'm happy to be back home again...

Excursion About to Start

And now has come the time for Melissa and I to embark on our planned Caribbean excursion.  First we stay overnight at a hotel near the dock (after driving down there) and then, on the 3rd, we board our ship and "set sail".  Looks like we dodged a tropical storm by a week, although there is another system hanging around off the Florida east coast while the boat is still in port.  I'm looking forward to reaching both hotel and ship, and taking time at each stop to take a good rest...

October Now...for Better or Worse

So it's October...let's see what I can make of this month, when I turn 69, the same age David Bowie reached when he died of liver cancer two days after his January 2016 birthday.  I don't know what all is in store for me, but I have already defined my enemy: those who deliberately set themselves as obstacles to my daily existence.  In other words, drama-queen prima-donnas. I'm already NOT looking forward to this contrived Grief Share "support" group that meets Wednesday evenings at a nearby church.  It's one of the sad life lessons I've learned that folks, when they get old, tend not to become wiser but rather entrench themselves even more in trying to set themselves apart and higher than others around them, acutely conscious of their "pecking order" status.  So I guess I'll go there and humor these deluded fools.  I think, though, that I'd rather just stay at home and spend the time preparing for our upcoming cruise.  I'm seriously considering writing separate daily articles through October 10th and then, after returning, "back-posting" them on this blog.  Or maybe not. I'm wondering, since I'll generally be avoiding the news shows on TV, whether I'll be spared some of this accursed fascist president's antics as he continually seeks to be the center of attention and controversy. And I suppose that there is another enemy out there: the completely effed-up, morally bankrupt weapons nut who feels justified at settling scores by going after random people in public. Has my country lost its collective mind?  Doesn't look so good, let's see how the high seas do for a few days...

Eyeing Tropics for Hurricane Threats

On this final day of September, we've been keeping an eye on the tropical disturbance developing just east of Florida and north of Cuba in the southern Bahamas.  The process has been pretty slow, but finally yesterday the weather big-shots got around to naming it as a tropical storm: Imelda.  Today Imelda intensified to minimal hurricane status, and after moving northward for several hours is now making an abrupt northeastern turn away from the mainland into the open seas of the Atlantic toward Bermuda, right behind its companion, Hurricane Humberto.  Elsewhere in the Atlantic tropics we see no place of predicted storm development, which is important since I'm planning on traveling by ship through the Bahamas and Caribbean Sea during the first two weeks of October.  Let any potential storms wait until we're safely back home in port...

My Running/Walking/Swimming Report for September

I continued steadfastly training with speed-walking and running throughout September, but pretty much skipped out of going on swims.  This past month I participated in Parkrun 5Ks each Saturday, one at Depot Park and three at West End Community Park.  Except for last Saturday's race, in which I volunteered as a Tail Walker, I mixed up walking and running in the other three.   I think this is the pattern for future races, especially those longer than 5K. Of the four Parkruns I went to in September, three were at West End Community Park and one was at Depot Park. My emphasis, both with training and races, is showing up and completing the event instead of fretting over fast finishing times.  Early on next month Melissa and I are going on a week-long Caribbean cruise.  This will serve as a recovery break in my training, while I'll still have opportunities to exercise in the ship's fitness room on the treadmill or practice a little swimming, if that's available.  On October 25, the little south Georgia town of Boston is holding a half-marathon race that I intend to enter, otherwise there's that Parkrun on the 18th.  Most likely, upon returning from the cruise I'll be scheduled to begin some radiation treatment to bring my PSA level back down to an acceptable level.  Through it all, I plan to remain active and as athletic as feasible.  And maybe, just maybe, the temperatures will start to cool off as well...

My Song of the Month for September 2025

Today it is approaching the end of September, and as I've done in previous months this year, I have a "song of the month" this time around as well.  Once again, for the second month in a row, it is There's No Future in Optimism, by the British alternative group Garbage.  Sung by Shirley Manson, it is a commentary on our times about protests and the State bearing down on them.  But we can design our own futures, based on love, in the midst of all the turmoil.  I like that message, and this song sits well with me in our troubled times.  I don't see anything improving in our society in political terms, and the media, both social and mass, seems hell-bent on aggravating tensions, fear and anger among the population.  Our president wants to wage war against any American who doesn't swear undying and unquestioning personal fealty to him.  I don't feel like following his sick tune...no, I'm charting my own course and this song carries a much better message.  So far this year, here are the "songs of the month":

September    There's No Future in Optimism...by Garbage

August         There's No Future in Optimism...by Garbage

July              The Birds...by Franz Ferdinand

June             Stuck in My Head...by Arcade Fire

May             Walking on a Dream...by Empire of the Sun

April            Nothing I Need...by Lord Huron

March          Under the Rug...by Arcy Drive

February      Starburster...by Fonraines DC

January        Everyone Out...by DIIV

Volunteered for Today's West End Community Parkrun 5K

On a soggy, muggy morning I drove out to West End Community Park and volunteered as Tail Walker for their Parkrun 5K event today.  My only concern with this role is if some runners or walkers arrive and begin late, behind me...and I'm supposed to be the last finisher!  Except for one straggling walker who was clearly challenged by the 74 degrees and 97% humidity, I had nothing to be concerned about as I had no difficulty maintaining a moderate pace while stopping from time to time to pick up flags and signs from the course for next week.  During the second half another volunteer joined me as we finished clearing the course...and I finished, with a time of 1:04:13.  I liked getting both volunteer credit and credit for finishing a race, so I'm getting closer to that 100-finish milestone.  The field was light, and about halfway through my walk it began to lightly rain, staying that way through the end. For the next two Saturdays I'm registered with Melissa to go on a Caribbean cruise, and then maybe I'll try another Parkrun after returning.  As for the rest of the day today, a cold front is passing through our area, bringing with it rain and some storms.  Hopefully, it all will help to steer to the east a developing tropical depression that seems destined to eventually be named Imelda...we'll see what happens.  If you want to view today's results, click HERE...

Eventual Fall Season Running Race Opportunities Appearing

Although here in northern Florida the daily temperatures continue to consistently climb up into the nineties with stifling-high morning humidity, it is technically now the autumn season.  And as such, I'm seeing online notices about upcoming distance running events, many of which are in my general area.  One that stands out to me is a southern Georgia half-marathon scheduled on Saturday morning, October 25th.  It's the Boston Mini-Marathon, as they like to call it: a half-marathon to take place as fall festivities ensue later on after the race.  I'm very seriously considering signing up for it, with the intention of doing a hybrid run/speed-walk mix for the race's duration.  It's located in the little town of Boston, situated between Valdosta and Thomasville (and closer to the latter).  Even if it's still unseasonably warm during this race, I think my run/walk strategy will get me through it without too much adversity.  I guess that will take care of next month, on top of the cruise we're scheduled to take in the first half and another possible Parkrun in mid-month.  November and December present potential problems in going on trips to other locations for distance races because of schedule conflicts involving family, thankfully being blessings centering around my loved ones.  After all, I'm no hermit despite tendencies in that direction and I cherish my love for Melissa...may it continue long into the future and forever.  I also am going to be continuing my cancer treatment in the next few weeks with some radiation therapy...I plan to be active throughout.  Earlier today I speed-walked 3.5 miles on my local gym's treadmill instead of braving the rain puddle-stricken streets.  So I'm continuing my workouts, and they'll come in handy when race day arrives...

About the Star Trek Movie Franchise

I use Roku and a streaming television service for my TV viewing.  One of the free channels offered is Pluto, which offers a variety of programming, including old series and lots of movies.  As a movie viewer, I tend to re-watch old flicks that I enjoyed from the past.  One such series is the Star Trek movie franchise, which to date has thirteen movies. I ranked each one according to my liking...the ranking follows the movie's title below. Here's a list of them with their release years:

THE ORIGINAL SERIES CAST

1979 Star Trek: the Motion Picture...11 

1982 The Wrath of Khan...4

1984 The Search for Spock...3

1986 The Voyage Home...1

1989 The Final Frontier...10

1991 The Undiscovered Country...6

THE NEXT GENERATION CAST

1994 Generations...7

1996 First Contact...8

1998 Insurrection...9

2002 Nemesis (not yet seen)

"REBOOT" SERIES

2009 Star Trek...2

2013 Into Darkness...5

2016 Beyond (not yet seen)

So it's been nine years since a Star Trek movie has hit the Silver Screen, although it seems that made-for-television movies are now being made and shown.  The acting and character interaction in the first movie were very stiff and awkward, but I enjoyed the characters for the rest of that first film series as well as for the most recent.  It was the Next Generation movies that kind of alienated me, as I simply could not relate to the different characters and their personalities and attitudes.  It all seemed so heavily soaked in pretentious Woke culture that the actual science fiction adventure aspect often gave way to the back stories of relationships and dialogue...like in the often frustrating TV series.  The first movie "The Motion Picture" was awful, with extra-long stretches in it composed of extended, expensive special effects passing in front of the Enterprise with the crew shown gaping and staring in open-mouthed amazement...yawn, how boring.   My favorite Star Trek character, both original and "reboot", has to be Doctor Leonard McCoy...chief engineer Scotty is a clear second.  And then it goes on to Spock and Kirk, and so on.  With the Next Generation lineup, I genuinely like the Captain Jean-Luc Picard character...and then it all drops precipitously, with the android Data representing perhaps the most annoying character in the series with engineer Geordi La Forge being nearly as irritating.  As for villains, whenever a movie had one (The Motion Picture and The Voyage Home each had incorporeal adversaries), I had my favorite bad guys as well: #1 Khan (Into Darkness), #2 Admiral Marcus (Into Darkness), #3 Dr. Soran (Generations), #4 Commander Kruge (The Search for Spock), #5 Khan (The Wrath of Khan).  Well, I don't know whether the filmmakers will come up with a new Star Trek series of movies, but there are always the old ones to watch...and again and again...

Partisan Excesses during Memorial Events

While Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone was in the final stage of his close reelection campaign in late October 2002, the plane carrying him and his family crashed in northern Minnesota, killing them all.  It was a shocking event, and a public memorial service was soon scheduled to honor the fallen senator.  Unfortunately, a few of those in attendance...and especially some of the speakers...got a little out of hand with their partisanship.  Mississippi Republican senator Trent Lott, a gentleman who attended the event, even received some boo's after he was introduced: how tacky can they get.  Apparently a bit more, since some of the speakers implored the audience to join in Wellstone's progressive politics and vote Democrat for his replacement...who turned out to be former senator and vice-president Walter Mondale.  There was a lot of negative spin on this event, greatly amplified by the FoxNews channel and conservative talk radio, and Republican candidate Norm Coleman went on to defeat Mondale in the general election.  I remember this because we recently experienced the death of "one of their own": conservative activist Charlie Kirk, assassinated by a sniper while in the middle of a Utah college rally.  The memorial for him was held in a football stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and it dwarfed the Wellstone tribute in terms of partisanship.  It was a "who's who" in politics regarding the right-wing notables attending and being recognized on TV.  Some of the speakers got carried away with their aggression and hostility against Democrats and liberals...it was "let's pick up Charlie's cause and run with it" on steroids.  A local Democratic school board member got in a little hot water recently for posting, on social media, her reaction, which was critical of how the event was conducted. There should always be plenty of room and toleration for opposing opinions, and hers had nothing within it that was inciteful...unlike the venomous words of assistant White House chief of staff Stephen Miller who sometimes sounds to me like a freaking Nazi Goebbels impersonator.  The MAGA regime in power has depicted their political opposition, the Democratic Party, as the Enemy and compared them to terrorists and extremists.  Trump has only been in office a little more than nine months and has thirty-nine more until he's done.  I do not look forward to what he and his supporters have in store for the rest of us during that remaining time.  I have restrained my criticisms of Charlie Kirk and feel grief for his death, although I had no contact with him and did not explore his opinions in any detail.  No one is perfect (including myself), although Kirk's partisan supporters seem to be trying to canonize him as Mr. Perfect "Saint Charlie", and we all have to agree or else...   

Living One Day at a Time in a World Tilting Toward Mass Cult Idol Worship

Each calendar day is an ocean of moments, one piled on top of the previous one.  When I write on the side of this blog that I take life one day at a time, I'm not engaging in shortsighted behavior at all. It's too easy...and ultimately ineffective...to make more farsighted plans further off into the future when I just might be brushing off what is immediately before me in my life.  While it's good to keep track of appointments and come up with some sense of vision extending forward in time, in the end it all comes down to living through it all in the present moment, making my own decisions and accepting responsibility for them. So it's important to show up for what I purpose to do whether or not my physical or emotional feelings line up at the time...once I'm there doing it, then there's always the opportunity for momentum and motivation to kick in and enhance the experience. I am in my late sixties, and on my birthday in a couple of weeks I'll still be there.  What I want is pretty simple and straightforward: to welcome each new day into my life with the confidence that I will meet its challenges while being actively engaged throughout, emphasizing in my communications with others a philosophy of positive encouragement, health and happiness. I have some areas in which I'd like to improve, and some of these involve deeper social interaction.  Well, so far in retirement I haven't become an abject hermit, turning my back on the world.  Not yet, at least, although when I see disturbing spectacles on television like the one going on for hours on end last Sunday I can see myself enjoying just ditching my TV to shut out all the BS thrown my way.  But at least with this I still have choices: pick a different channel or just turn off the TV... 

Fall Begins, Whether You See It or Not

As far as I can determine, the month of fall begins today, September 22nd, early in the afternoon.  I don't think that the weather is all that responsive to this inflection point in astronomy when the sun begins to rise and set at points further south on the east and west horizons, respectively. Let's see, I'm still on the lookout for tropical storms that might someday affect me, and I'm subject to people in the news...some famous and some not...acting in irresponsible and sometimes violent ways against the interests of society.  So life goes on, let's see what I can make from my daily allotment of time...  

Retirement Fine, Encountering and Meeting Challenges

A friend today asked me what I thought about retirement so far, and my answer was quick and unequivocal: I've yet to wish I hadn't retired. Not one instant.  Now suppose circumstances had dictated me having continued on with my postal job, the specific assignment of which focused on receiving, processing and dispatching registered mail that came in from area offices in the afternoon and early evening.  I performed that assignment from January 2019 through November 2024...nearly six years.  In the middle of it all COVID happened, as well as my open heart surgery.  Melissa and I both came down with COVID in July 2023...it wiped out my summer vacation but we both recovered well from it. My son Will tragically passed away in July 2024, and Melissa experienced the trauma associated with breast cancer while receiving excellent medical care. The month following my retirement, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and events were set into motion leading to my March prostatectomy this year.  I have yet to physically feel the direct effects of illness, although my medical treatment...the surgeries in particular...hampered my activity and forced me through some brief seasons of pain.  I'm still getting cancer treatment, so it's a matter of me showing up for each day in a positive, constructive way to engage in exercise and keep my mind active.  Since my country collectively decided last November at the polls to go full-bore fascist and idolize a 34-count convicted felon, I had found myself exposed to the abuse associated with abusive national leadership...and that abuse is continuing.  I have decided, though, to avoid acknowledging its significance in my life and have been cleaning up my social media accounts from sites and posts that only aggravate the situation, instead stressing areas that are more conducive to my mental and physical well-being. I have already vowed to myself not to allow drama and manipulation to govern my daily existence, instead creating my own structure of personal discipline that keeps me strong with a positive outlook. I'm hoping that you're faring well in your own life, and that you don't see yourself as just a passive victim of circumstances but rather have a great deal of responsible control over how your own day goes.  And I mean each and every day...         

Ran and Speed-Walked the West End Community Parkrun 5K This Morning

This morning, amid a warm 70 degrees and positively oppressive 97% humidity, I got up and headed down to West End Community Park where they hold their Saturday morning Parkrun 5K, always starting at 7:30.  I had entertained the notion of running the whole event, but went back to my planned format: run first 3 minutes, speed-walk 3 minutes, run 7 minutes, walk 3 and so on to the end, which I stuck to. The conditions were indeed oppressively sticky-humid, but I had what it took to run hard to the end, finishing with a time of 33:21.  You can view this Parkrun's results by clicking HERE.  I adjusted my running regimen after it was established that I would be undergoing hormone and radiation therapy for the microscopic-level of residual prostate cancer in my body that was recently detected.  The 7:3 run/walk ratio worked for today...under more favorable weather conditions I'm free to adjust the ratios. On the volunteer sign-up board there I signed up to serve as Tail Walker at West End next Saturday...can't wait!  I'm happy with my effort on this difficult course this morning. I had actually been considering signing up and doing a half marathon in Ocala...that would have been unrealistic (and ugly). It's gratifying how different folks gather together like this, each one with his or her own reasons and expectations.  I'd like this sort of friendly community in other settings as well: how about a mathematics community day or one revolving around learning to understand and speak foreign languages? Now on with the weekend...

Subdued Hurricane Season So Far, But Keeping Eyes Open

This 2025 Atlantic hurricane season hasn't been meeting expectations...even with the more subdued predictions for storm numbers and intensity.  Here we are, now past the typical midpoint that signifies the peak days for tropical storm activity, and with only one tropical storm, Gabrielle, that is floundering out in the mid-Atlantic and only posing an indirect threat to Bermuda. Sometimes bad stuff happens later on, though, and I am keeping my eyes open during weather news segments for any new developments.  By October, the likelihood increases for tropical storms and hurricanes to originate in the western Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico.  These storms are far more likely to eventually threaten "my" north central Florida area...if they do materialize, that is.  This 2025 season, so far, has been a blessed bust...but there's still more time left.  Personally, I could do without the suspense of an approaching hurricane to my area, but since we're planning on cruising into the Caribbean during the first two weeks of next month, the notion of some potential storm "out there" doesn't exactly keep my mind at ease.  Nor does the provocative military buildup instigated in that area by our "stable genius" of a president, who thinks it's just hunky-dory to bomb to smithereens unarmed fishing vessels in international waters along with their passengers...

Cancel Culture from the Fascist Side about Kirk

The freaks hidden among the multitudes in our increasingly fascist America are the real menace in our society when it comes to assassinations, whether you're talking about JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr., RFK, the attempts against George Wallace, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, John Lennon, or the attempts against Trump in 2024...and the sniper shot against Charlie Kirk recently.  With all the guns floating around in clear view in our gun-crazy culture, an adept, murderous maniac can seize the opportunity and commit a horrendous act, pretty much from the vantage point of anonymity, if he or she has successfully been concealing from others any intentions of taking such action.  It does not require conspiracies from an extremist group, as some in the current fascist regime have angrily gone off about in public rage.  You or I might become famous, and if there is at least a little controversy accompanying that fame then chances are that somebody, somewhere will allow themselves to become offended and at least consider making us into a target.  It's interesting nowadays that the MAGA Trump boot-lickers are the ones practicing "politically correct" cancel culture on anyone they can get away with accusing of inappropriate comments about the murder or Kirk himself...reference recent outbursts by Stephen Miller, JD Vance and Pam Bondi.  This canceling of Jimmy Kimmel for suggesting (in my opinion, presumptuously and probably erroneously) that the shooter just might have been pro-Trump, is a spotlighted case in point.  Long ago I tired of watching these late-night "comedy" spectacles like Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers because of the political ugliness behind much (if not most of) their jokes, so not having Kimmel on doesn't change anything with me.  Besides, you can get your audience to laugh at the politicians you dislike, but try coaxing the same fans to actively and consistently participate in the voting process.  In EVERY available election, even those "boring" local and state contests.  Yeah, good luck with that...I think these smartass professional jokesters need to start ridiculing the electorate instead!  Then again, a lot of these half-ass, apathetic and emotion-driven voters seem to think that the meaning of democracy is going to protest rallies after their side has lost the election. Now THAT is a sick joke...   

Camped Out at Nearby Starbucks, Studying and Writing

It's a little difficult to maneuver myself through each day without the outside news and opinion world encroaching on my attention and my increasing sense of unease at the way things are going down.  Still, here I am, relatively healthy while undergoing greatly appreciated high-level medical treatment that is apparently coming in a timely manner.  While warned about possible side effects of yesterday's hormone therapy injection, I was also advised to be active and go about my business as before.  So that I am doing, sitting here in my closest Starbucks drinking a hot cinnamon dolce latte while studying foreign languages and writing this article.  The day stretches ahead of me, and so does a planned neighborhood walk later on.  This evening they're holding the second "grief care" support group meeting at Trinity UMC...not certain as to whether I'll be attending or not.  One thing is for sure: I have little patience to just sit there and tolerate others with their high-handed self-glorifying speechifying.  Speaking of putting up with people putting up their own walls in front of me, it all reminds me of the frustration I fell into a few years ago when I got more deeply into Facebook and made several friend requests of former classmates.  Many accepted and many simply ignored the requests...so be it.  I've later discovered that the wisdom that's supposed to come later in life and temper people's outlook on themselves, their role in society and their political leanings usually comes slowly, if at all.  I sometimes read how some of my "friends" react to a provocative posting and see that folks have a defensive instinct to instantly respond in a knee-jerk, "offended" manner to viewpoints they disagree with, as if reading a contrary opinion somehow poses a physical threat to them.  After the recent horrible assassination of a young conservative voice, the trolls came out on this social media site in force, causing me to wonder whether I shouldn't just shut down my account permanently.  I used to post links to this blog on it for years, but in early 2021 I decided that the often idiotic negative trolling I'd get...usually from a tiny number of old Nova High School classmates...made the whole exercise and effort unworthy.  So I post my articles independently of Facebook and tend to avoid activity there. And what do you know, the company's algorithms have decided what my interests are and load up my news feed with posts reflecting their conclusions: lots and lots of stuff about the Beatles, especially John Lennon...  

Hormone Therapy Injection for Residual Prostate Cancer

Early this afternoon, as mentioned in yesterday's article, I went down to the University of Florida Medical Plaza, oncology section, to have a prescribed hormone treatment injection to inhibit my body's production of testosterone and consequently stem the growth of cancer in my body as I anticipate radiation treatment beginning in a few weeks.  The injection, done on my rear, has a six-month span of effectiveness and I'm confident that it will help to diminish, if not eliminate, the presence of any prostate cancer within me.  Everyone there was so nice and I barely felt the needles stick when they first drew blood from my arm and then made that hormone-inhibiting injection.  Now my butt feels a little sore but that's all right: time to let the medicine work its magic...

About Tomorrow's Procedure

Tomorrow I have scheduled an injection of testosterone-inhibiting hormone treatment, to last for six months and facilitate the eradication of the microscopic residual cancer after my prostatectomy this past March.  I made the assigned phone call to my oncologist's nurse, who apprised me of the treatment's possible side effects: fatigue and menopause-emulating symptoms like hot flashes and joint pain.  Not that these will occur, but it's always a good idea to know where I'm headed with all this.  The nurse also stressed that in the face of the possible fatigue it's a good idea for me to be intentionally active.  Well, I planned on that all along, so now it's just a matter of once again showing up with a good attitude at the Medical Plaza for the procedure... 

Local Free News Rag Extols Local Coffee Shops

I enjoy the Independent Florida Alligator news rag not only because it is free, but also because the articles tend to be interesting, written with some empathy for the reader's sensibilities.  The September 8th issue, which was available on a news rack at a store's entrance that Melissa and I recently walked by, contained an article discussing some of the writer's (Aaliyah Evertz) favorite coffee shops in town.  Since the Alligator is oriented around the University of Florida campus and favors Gator students' interests, her selection of five places tended to be centered around the campus.  I like coffee shops...that is, when I can find a reasonable place to sit after I buy my drink and if the people working there are friendly.  A few weeks ago I went to the Sym coffee shop near Newberry Road and NW 55th Street and ordered a coffee.  That part of the visit went well until I got my drink and then looked for a place to sit.  The whole place was occupied with student-types, and it wasn't until I gave up and walked outside that I found an open spot.  At least with Sym I could easily find a parking spaces; some of these places Evertz listed seem buried within congested areas with little available nearby parking.  I was a big frequenter of places, like Coffee Culture on NW 13th Street just north of Gainesville High School, that would stay open late into the night.  But after COVID-19 hit and businesses drastically curtailed their operating hours (or even closed down), it's been hard in recent years to find a place that I can go to past nine at night.  I know that Krispy Kreme stays open around the clock as does Waffle House, but Starbucks tends to close early (some of the stores REAL early), and Dunkin' Donuts closes its doors at 7 PM (at least the one near my house).  But you know, I do have a coffeemaker at home and can brew my own coffee, and I'm open "24/7" with plenty of places to sit...even into the wee hours of the morning.  Right now I'm drinking a pot of New England brand Caramel Macchiato-flavored coffee while sitting at our dining room table, sweet dog Daisy sitting below on the floor gazing outside into the back yard.  Now back to UF for a minute.  When I first attended there in the late 1970s, I would go to a Krystal fast-food store just across University Avenue from Library West.  This place was always open, their coffee was good and very cheap, and I got a lot of studying done there (and their chili was excellent).  When that place eventually closed down and a new Krystal was built elsewhere years later, I sadly discovered that this one original place I liked so much was an aberration.  But when I think back to being a student on campus at the University of Florida, Krystal on University Avenue reigns supreme as the place to go.  Years later I made a lot of use of the Krispy Kreme store...also 24/7...three blocks north of campus on NW 13th Street. So I'm not really at all interested in the snooty, more specialized coffee shops that jack up their prices while customers are grateful to have at least been able to park somewhere nearby.  As of now I have no regular place that stands as my favorite place to go to have some coffee in public and study or write some, but the home dining room table is always there...     

Mixed Running and Walking in Today's Depot Parkrun 5K

This Saturday morning I woke up early...before six...after not sleeping well.  But I dutifully got myself ready to go at yet another Parkrun 5K, this one to be at Gainesville Depot Park, a few blocks south of downtown. As a reward for simply getting out there and showing up, I had decided in advance to speed-walk the whole four laps around the park...the 68 degrees race time temperature and 91% humidity reinforced that decision.  This Parkrun location is a lot more crowded than the one held at West End Community Park, so just before its start I deliberately walked backward to near the back of the throng.  Yet I still experienced the jumble of people behind me running around, crowding me out although I was simply walking (quickly) in a straight line.  Eventually it thinned out (a little) and I was able to establish a reasonable walking pace, slower than my best but not my worst, either.  I speed-walked two laps, and felt energized enough then to start mixing in a little running.  During those final two laps I ran a total time of 10:08, finishing the 5K (3.1-mile) distance at 37:08.  You can view the posted results by clicking HERE. During this season of my life, in which I'm about to undergo some mild hormone and radiation treatment for microscopic residual prostate cancer, I need to set aside my "personal best" standards regarding race finishing times and instead focus on that "showing up", either mixing up the running and walking or doing solely speed-walks.  So, supposing circumstances and how I feel work for me to do another Parkrun next week, my plan is to start out the race running for three minutes, then walk four, then run six...until the end, with me averaging six minutes of running to four of walking.  Sounds like a reasonable idea...

About Charlie Kirk and His Tragic Assassination

Regarding the recent murder of conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk, I have to preface any comments with the disclaimer that, before this horrible event, I hadn't heard or read anything from this individual, only that his name tended to circulate around on the more politically-charged posts on Facebook. In the last couple of days I checked his You Tube channel and he seemed like a composed, reasonable and likable young man who boldly and passionately expressed his viewpoints on a number of issues, some controversial, that I have mixed opinions about.  He avidly and consistently supported and campaigned for Trump over the years while the latter was equally consistent with his nasty and hateful rhetoric...this is the only direct criticism I'll make about Charlie.  Yet I personally know several people who are squarely in the camp of our current demagogic, autocratic "leader", but they're also very caring and generous...Charlie Kirk struck me as someone with that type of personal charm.  The individual that is being portrayed as the shooting suspect seems to have come from a multi-generational family of staunch Trump supporters (who apparently turned him in to the police).  Perhaps his political allegiance is to violent extremist militia groups, but at this juncture I don't see any leftist leanings as our evil president has directly insinuated without providing any evidence, trying to stir up division and anger while making the Democratic Party opposition into a scapegoat.  The suspect seems to have been well-trained with a sniper-level of firearm accuracy, since the act was committed at some 200-yard distance, and how his deft scampering off a high roof implied some special military-level training.  I remember how, in the late 1990s, popular late-night radio host Art Bell, well-known for his conservative political views, still ran afoul of some extremist right-wing militia group that harassed and threatened him.  Sometimes one's supposed "allies" can turn out to be the real enemy. My inclination toward Mr. Kirk is to honor his courageous life and defuse the propaganda that evil players like Trump are perpetrating upon the shocked population, who could use a real leader at this trying and sad time instead of this presidential fraud...a 34-count convicted felon...inflicted upon us last November by my fellow Americans... 

Napier Finally on the Hot Seat

University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier, ever since he's been at the helm, has presided over a team that has under-performed to fans' typically ambitious expectations.  So the question each season is: how long will he go before he's described as being on the "hot seat"?  I've jokingly been entertaining this notion for 2025, a year that the Gators have been hyped as being a breakthrough season that could even propel them to the college football playoffs at the end.  They had a couple of "soft" home games to start off the season.  On August 30th they played Long Island University and performed well for that level of competition, winning 55-0.  Their opponent this past Saturday, South Florida, had opened their own season with a surprising walloping of Boise State, 34-7, so I wasn't very sure about how they'd do against UF.  As it turned out, Florida was a disorganized, undisciplined mess, unprepared for this game, a close contest ultimately decided because one of their childish, unsportsmanlike and entitled players decided to spit at an opposing player at a crucial moment, resulting in an 18-16 loss to the Bulls.  After it was over, I had no trouble at all finding references to Napier now being on the hot seat.  The question was, would he do like he did last year and say something snide about his critics?  I haven't heard anything of this sort yet...let's see how the Gators do on the road this Saturday in Baton Rouge against #3 Louisiana State.  If he survives that contest, then Napier will "get to" travel down-state to face #5 Miami the following week: oh joy...

Support Groups, Fight Club and Grief

When I was nine, I was going to a brand-new public school: Nova Blanche Forman Elementary School, known then more commonly and simply as Nova Elementary.  Over time I made a few friends out there in Davie, cowboy country in south Florida.  One day a few of us got together and informally established our own fight club, transforming into a sport and ritual an activity usually reserved for bullies and angry kids.  Surprisingly, it lasted longer than you might think, although with my ribs poking through my chest...making me look like a concentration camp survivor...I quickly got tired of the good-natured blows that naturally would come my way.  So I totally got the meaning behind the concept of an adult fight club, presented with such force in that 1999 same-titled movie. My son Will revealed, though, that this movie went down into a rabbit hole of plot twists and deeper meaning, so one evening I began to watch it...from the beginning.  Presented in the first person, the narrator...played by Edward Norton...is suffering from extreme insomnia stemming from his depression about his mundane, boring life.  He hits upon the strategy of participating in support groups to cure his insomnia, even though he usually doesn't have any connection with the groups' themes.  So my exposure to support groups, along with the way they go around in a circle during discussion time with the members spilling their hearts out, began in full earnest with this movie.  Earlier this evening I attended a "grief care" support group presented at a local church...Melissa suggested it.  I'm not sure what I see myself getting from it, but there I am, within this group.  We're committed to anonymity about the people in it as well as the specific stories told. Had I still been working and not retired like I did, I'd have the perfect excuse for avoiding it...I just DON'T LIKE support groups.  Earlier I mentioned that Will was the one who told me about the movie Fight Club: his recent passing is the core reason behind this support group having me "in" it.  Like the protagonist Jake Epping in Stephen King's wonderful novel 11/22/63, I am not a crying man by nature...although the tears are often simmering just under the surface.  I just never thought of life as being endless: it's mortal, with our life spans on Earth bracketed between the year of our birth and that of our deaths.  This mortal physical body that goes by the name William "Bill" "Billy" Irwin belongs to the life span begun in 1956, and the end year has yet to reveal itself.  I am dead to the year 1856, and most likely won't extend to the year 2200 as well (unless Putin's dubious immortality vaccine comes to the rescue).  I'm also dead to wherever my body isn't...I'm looking out the window and my life isn't there: it's here, seated at this keyboard writing this.  The HERE AND NOW, in essence, defines me in a subjective sense and cannot be quantified by physical science in any objective manner. My eventual experience of dying will, of necessity, be conceptually very different from what others experience about my death from their viewpoints.  It's a great quandary, this gulf between subjective awareness and objective observation, and since time marches on without regard to how I feel about anything, I might as well relax and entertain a sense of inner peace about it all, tedious support group or not.  Either I'll survive others or they'll survive me...

Society Becoming Unhinged and Violent, Mirroring World Leaders

I'm looking around me and it doesn't look good.  People in society, and leaders around the world, are becoming mentally and morally unhinged, holding tight to their resentments and grudges and then exploding into acts of terror.  Putin keeps sending drones to bomb his neighbor Ukraine, knowing that the main result of his actions is murderous terror against ordinary civilians.  Yet in the interests of longevity he touts a vaccine that is supposed to ward off cancer, and in personal visits comes off seeming like a reasonable and congenial individual.  Those two children massacred in a Minnesota church by a sick monster, and the young Ukrainian immigrant woman who finished her work shift, boarded a Charlotte, North Carolina commuter train, and was promptly stabbed to death in random fashion by the young man who happened to be sitting behind her seat, are just the more recent examples of what I see as a complete breakdown in civil society. And this president of ours, I'm sure, would be an active part of this chain of violence and terror as he is governed by vengeance, fear and anger. I don't need to watch the national news to get more than my share of disheartening news.  The local news shows consistently come up with stories about people who shot up their own home or of others who got mad at someone at a party, workplace or bar and then went back to their car and returned, guns blazing with fury.  I go out of my way on my neighborhood walk/runs to keep my mouth shut and eyes trained on the road ahead of me, but this doesn't stop some motorists around me from slowing down and checking me out from safely behind their tinted windows as if my mere existence posed a kind of threat to them.  Life is fragile: that's a lesson I already learned but which was brutally reinforced in the last two years with the deaths of my son and sister-in-law.  Stephen King wrote a 2006 novel titled Cell, in which cellphone users would suddenly become violently deranged and go on killing sprees.  I don't think we're so far off from that scenario, I'm afraid. Lord, get me through this day...  

Further Plans for Cancer Treatment

This morning I had my consultation appointment with the urologist who performed my March prostatectomy.  Since my follow-up PSA blood test revealed a slightly increasing trend that probably points to the presence...at least on a microscopic biochemical level...of residual cancer in that part of my body, he laid out the future treatment strategy.  It includes both radiation and hormone therapy, and this will be scheduled in the next few days.  Sure, I would have preferred to have maintained that earlier low PSA level, but my doctor is very upbeat about my prospects following this treatment regimen, which we will schedule around our upcoming cruise.  I don't know how this will affect my overall energy level in the next two or three months, but I've already decided to focus on showing up and finishing regarding the running races I'm going to participate in with a mix of running and walking.  The main hassle as I see it will be driving across town to my treatment sessions and back.  Still, I plan to be positive and active through it all...

Happy Anniversary, My Dear Melissa!

Happy anniversary to my beautiful sweetheart Melissa. We're celebrating thirty-nine years together, with hopes of many more to come, along with joy and laughter.  I love you, honey!

Ran and Walked the West End Community Parkrun 5K This Morning

This morning I got up early, once again proving that I can indeed engage in this suggested habit if I have a good reason behind it.  And that reason was today's Parkrun, held Saturday mornings at 7:30.  My Parkrun of choice (Gainesville has two) was the West End Community Parkrun, the eighth event since it began in early July.  That location is a former golf course-turned community park, a few blocks west of 122nd Street off Newberry Road. For me it was my third official finish there, and I had my strategy set before me: alternate five minutes of speed-walking with five of moderate running...starting the race with three minutes of careful running as we passed over a long stretch of cracked up concrete sidewalk.  The conditions were predictably inhospitable: 72 degrees with 94% humidity, and a glaring sun rising in the east without any clouds.  The course has so many twists and turns that it is indecipherable...just follow the signs, arrows and volunteer marshals.  Although it was a bit taxing under such heat and humidity, I found this regular switching between running and walking to be very workable, a template for my future races although I might adjust the walk/run ratios.  Let's see, when I finished it at a time of 34:36, I figured that I walked a total of 15 minutes and ran for 19:36...not bad.  You can view today's posted results by clicking HERE.  Next week I'll most likely cross over to Depot Park.  The West End Community Parkrun this morning had relatively few participants, but that Depot Parkrun usually swells up.  I do like the fact that after West End is over, I can cool off and change at the gym across Newberry Road and then enjoy a coffee or chai latte at Patticakes next door.  And now it's time to face the rest of this weekend, whatever it brings us. As for tomorrow morning, let's see what motivates me to get up early...

Adult Family Members Suffering from Medical Issues

Today my family is undergoing some medical problems, and we are in a state of mobilization to help out when and where we can.  My daughter and brother-in-law both have some serious issues going on, and they are seeing doctors and medical help.  Your prayers are welcome, and we rely on God to heal them of their afflictions.  It's tough when two different issues seem to come out of nowhere to cause such distress among our loved ones...bless and comfort Rebecca and Keith...

62nd and 23rd

I'm sitting here in that same old Dunkin' store facing the same scene I showed in a recent article.  There's a street sign right there ahead on the corner: NW 23rd ST on top facing in one direction and NW 62nd AVE on the bottom facing the other. Cars come and go, but I don't see pedestrians making any use of the provided sidewalks here.  That's a lot different from the Manhattan, NYC streets I see on my YouTube live feeds at night...click HERE to see an earlier video.  On them the cameraman, with seemingly endless endurance, walks a brisk pace for miles upon miles, up and down Midtown Manhattan streets and avenues...it makes me tired leaning back on my couch watching all the fast-walking people, and they, too, seen to possess boundless energy.  But were I there among them, I probably wouldn't be tiring either, no matter how much real estate I covered.  I've been wearing a FitBit watch for a few years, and when I was working (at the post office) the last couple of years I would almost always be in continuous motion, often deliberately walking when I probably could have just stood or sat still.  I would regularly amass more than 20,000 steps in a workday, and then when I got home as often as not I would do some running-in-place before going off to bed. Now that I am retired, am I unconsciously scaling down my physical activity when I don't have to? And if so, is that a good thing?  On today's neighborhood 3.3-mile walk/run, I originally set out to speed-walk the whole loop, but at the 5-minute mark I switched the project to 5 minutes of walking alternating with 5 of easy running...and it worked! Beforehand I had thought that running would be a little too rough, but I discovered that I could get into a nice groove for five minutes knowing that I'd be back walking some.  No problem...this is actually a step up from my earlier plan to institute a 6 minutes walking/4 minutes running routine.  So maybe this 5/5 system can get me through long distance races...the first half-marathon is coming in November.  Then in early December it's a 15K, followed in January by a choice I have between a marathon and half-marathon.  Let's see how far I can take this, in the old "postal worker/ big-city walker" spirit...

Rob Dial Argues Against Comparing Oneself to Others

On his Mindset Mentor podcast today, personal development coach Rob Dial discussed how people tend to compare themselves...usually unfavorably...to others.  He says we're naturally wired into doing this assessing the relative social positions of ourselves against others, but it's not a good way to live out the day.  Folks like to scroll Facebook and other social media, but they tend to see what others post...which is usually the peak-best of what they are and do...and take it in as how they ordinarily live their lives.  I've seen this with the Canadian brothers' YouTube running channel, in which the two come off sounding awfully elitist about their chosen sport and tend to put down others that they don't see measuring up.  Well, it doesn't ruin my day to watch them, so let it be if that's how they want to present themselves...I'm still feeling fine.  My problem with others is in ordinary public conversation when they...usually it's men...go about, with false modesty, bragging about their own accomplishments and social standing.  I guess their expectation is for me to immediately defer to them as my superiors, but my reaction is usually one of aversion, wanting to put distance between them and me. This Parkrun experience I have habituated myself to partake of weekly is an example of the leaders openly stressing that it is NOT a competition...and then running in it like it IS. Rob Dial says that the only person you should be comparing yourself to is you, and whether or not you're improving over that past version of yourself.  That's how I see Parkruns and other races: how am I getting through the race and does my finishing time meet with the standards I set in past performances?  That's how I get myself looking forward each week to going down there and giving it another go.  For example, this coming Saturday morning I plan to try out the West End Community Parkrun for the third time, running it this time and seeing if I can't beat my initial finishing time there.  In the final analysis, whether I succeed in that is secondary to the main thing, which is showing up in the first place.  In any event, I'm sure there will be some annoying people who will try to make it all a personal contest between us...I say let them do that if that's how they want to limit themselves...

Self-Imposed Structure and Discipline an Issue So Far in Retirement

I'm writing this a little past 1 PM on a weekday that I normally would be driving to work had I not retired late last year after 37 years.  I'd be in the post office parking lot, no doubt eventually finding a free space somewhere in the disastrous mess that postal management created after they moved all the carriers into the processing plant on SW 34th Street.  Although if still employed I wouldn't be looking forward to being in that fishbowl of a building with all its peepholes and cameras and obnoxious "career" ladder-climbing supervisors trying to act tough, my mind and actions to a significant extent would be free to venture down whatever paths I felt inclined to follow.  The intermittent fasting that led to a heightened level of fitness and athleticism in 2023-24 (and was hinted at as being an "eating disorder" by loved ones) was able to take place under a work routine that saw me free from undue pressure by others to ravenously consume food.  I'd like to return to at least a modified version of that regimen, but I need to respond to the clearly different cues presenting themselves to me during these times of zero job-imposed structure.  For one, my priority is to include Melissa in as many activities that I can...but in the times she doesn't feel like going along I need to continue with my agenda while being sympathetic to her feelings.  People's moods and emotions fluctuate over the course of any day, and so do mine.  Each of them can speak for themselves...but not necessarily for me, although I welcome their input.  It does me little good to listen to podcasts from Rob Dial or Andrew Huberman about instilling self-discipline and structure if I get static for being proactive and showing up.  Being inclusive of others is not at all the same as depending on direction from them. My inclination is to make living simpler in a material sense and to avoid making mountains out of molehills.  Living in the present, or mindfulness, is the opposite of overthinking.  How about some mindfulness...and a little gratitude for the blessings in our lives? As for responsible activity, I think it's better to get little habits going to the point where "good living" just naturally becomes a part of my daily existence, instead of shutting down my life to focus on a specific massive maintenance or clean-up project (directed by someone else). I've learned over the past sixteen months with two tragic family deaths and three different cancer diagnoses that life is indeed fragile and we're all subject to eventual death in this world, and I value the present moments accorded me, aware that I don't know far ahead they will stretch out. I do my share of complaining about the news, but this is the time of my life. No, I'm far from perfect and have a long way to go. But I don't think that I'm being unreasonable to ask for a little consideration and respect when I am earnestly seeking to live in a disciplined and structured manner as I approach my 69th birthday...

On This Labor Day Starting Off September

Welcome to the month of September on this Labor Day Monday.  The Weather Channel meteorologists seem to be enjoying going to pains to explain that today marks the beginning of the meteorological fall season while the astronomical fall begins on September 22nd.  I'm not sure how that affects my life, but it continued to be very warm and humid outside as I walked around the neighborhood earlier this afternoon. I'm not counting on any sustained cooling in my surrounding weather.  No, it's tropical storms and hurricanes I'm on the lookout against, and the "experts" don't seem to think that anything of substance will develop within the next week or so, although they say there is a "robust" tropical wave out there.  We've had a pretty light Atlantic hurricane season so far, with the only developed hurricane staying clear of land, far out in the Atlantic Ocean...may the rest follow this pattern.  Melissa and I would like our planned cruise into the Caribbean Sea in early October to go off without complications. Not only do I need to take the weather into consideration about this, but apparently our mentally ill, creepy drama-queen of a president seems to think it's a good idea to manufacture yet another crisis by amassing warships just off the Venezuelan coast to provoke armed conflict with that nation...we're scheduled to cruise to the nearby islands of Aruba and Curacao. You probably voted for the felon: what excuses are you making for him this time? In any event, there's a limit to what I have control over in my life...let me focus on today and what it may bring...

My August 2025 Running, Walking, Swimming and Health Report

In August I continued to walk, run, and swim regularly, not really growing in fitness or athletic ability but instead practicing the discipline of showing up, often under stress to do other things and under adverse weather conditions.  It was a typically hot and muggy month in summer, and it wasn't at all fun.  No, it's still August as I write this and I am not having fun.  Sometimes I feel that I am acting in defiance of my loved ones when I carve out time in my supposed "retirement" to actively pay attention to my own fitness instead of being a limp, passive excuse for a being.  I'm frankly fed up with the frustration of feeling that I am being set up to be a kind of scapegoat.  Still, I think I did reasonably well getting through this past month.  I walk and run around my neighborhood regularly and I do exercises mimicking running in the house.  I do push-ups and calisthenics as well daily.  My swimming didn't happen as often as I would have liked...maybe this coming month will see an improvement in that activity.  In August I participated in three posted races...all Parkrun 5K's.  My finishing times have declined, and it's frustrating.  I wish I didn't feel pressured to stuff myself with food...that's not a healthful habit at all.   My weight has been creeping upward into the low 160's, and I'd much rather be twenty pounds lighter.   Along with my fitness routines I find myself deep into the medical rotations of tests and doctor visits following my March prostatectomy, with subsequent blood tests and pet-scan held to ascertain whether the cancer diagnosed last December is returning on any discernible level.  Maybe next month I'll have to undergo radiation treatment since my PSA level has crept up a bit. Am I healthy? Who knows, but I do know that I am continuing to be physically active.  I suppose that an element of health is having a social network of friends and family who express an interest in me and what I'm up to, and who want to hear what I think about things.  Unfortunately, although many seem to be benevolently inclined toward me, I don't see any of that extended into a level of interest.  So philosophically I guess I'm in a funk of social pessimism, with diminishing expectations of others and, if anything, a desire to be left alone without surrounding drama.  And the POS occupying the White House isn't helping anything with his antics, nor are those people who put him back into power...

Got Through This Morning's Hot and Humid Depot Parkrun 5K

Today was perhaps, weatherwise, the worst day to attempt a Parkrun: the temperature at the 7:30 start was 75 degrees with an oppressive 97% humidity.  That didn't keep Depot Park, located a few blocks south of downtown Gainesville, from filling up with runners and walkers for this weekly free event that is run by volunteers.  I mean, I got there a little earlier than usual, but the main parking lot was already packed and the overflow lot was already half full. For the Parkrun, my intention, given the conditions, was to speed-walk the entire 3.1 miles, but I found the experience frustrating when a kid and his presumed father seemed to pick me out as a mark as, early on, the little boy repeatedly (1) sprinted past me, (2) got immediately in front of me, and then (3) stopped...making me have to suddenly pivot to avoid collisions, knowing as I walked past them that I'd have to do the same damned thing all over in a minute when they did it again.  Look, if you're gonna coach your kid, fine, but maybe teaching him to avoid run-ins with others on the course just might be a priority, what do you say?  In any event, I eventually shook off that obnoxious duo but found myself going at an all-too-slow pace.  Eventually, after the second lap, I began to insert some running into it, ultimately running for 9:14 out of the final finishing time of 38:54. I don't know, I've written before how I prefer this simple Parkrun course to the one at West End because it has laps to it, but in all candor it can get to be a real drag encountering the same people over the course of a walk/run.  Maybe next time I'll try West End.  In any event, it looks like my times in the next few weeks are going to be slower and the emphasis will be on simply showing up and finishing (and avoiding tripping over obnoxious people). To view the posted results for today, click HERE...  

My Song of the Month for August 2025 is Garbage

It's approaching the end of yet another month, time for me to select my "song of August 2025".  I sought material that has been released this year for musical acts that produced songs I liked in the past.  The British alternative rock group Garbage, fronted by Shirley Manson, produced songs I liked in the late 1990's such as Stupid Girl, Push It and Special.  At the start of '25 they released the album Let All That We Imagine Be the Light. I listened to it all, one track at a time, and...wouldn't you know it...this is the third album in a row I've listened to in its entirety whose tracks I disliked.  Except, once again, for one standout, which I think totally rocks: the opening one, titled There's No Future in Optimism.  Shirley's appealing singing voice is in full stride here, and the song's instrumental production is breathtaking and powerful.  This is my song of August, and you might want to give it a listen.  In recap, below are my songs of the month for 2025 so far:

AUGUST   There's No Future in Optimism by Garbage

JULY          The Birds by Franz Ferdinand

JUNE         Stuck in My Head by Arcade Fire

MAY          Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun

APRIL        Nothing I Need by Lord Huron

MAY          Under the Rug by Arcy Drive

FEBRUARY  Starburster by Fontaines DC

JANUARY    Everyone Out by DIIV

New Run/Walk Strategy Developing

I was glancing out the window of my nearby Dunkin' Donuts here in far-northern Gainesville (see above pic), where I do much of my writing and studying, I'm contemplating a "sea change" regarding my future running and speed walking as I continue to plod on through the years. On my neighborhood run/walk combination training outings the last few months, I've grown accustomed to mixing them up.  Today I covered the 4.1-mile course by spending most of the time speed-walking with short, period intervals of easy-paced running.  I feel this may be the pattern for future races as well...especially the long distances ones of 10K (6.2 miles) and longer.  Speed-walk for six minutes and then run for four...and keep repeating the process until the race (or workout) is over.  I think this is a feasible training strategy for a future marathon in which I'm pushing to finish faster than six hours...there's one coming up in January. Today's workout was typical summertime discomfort, with an annoying combination of high temperature and humidity.  When conditions get cooler and dryer, it should be more workable to extend my training to longer distances and see how my body reacts to it all.  What I want is a viable level of fitness with which I can confidently enter any "classic" long distance event (10K through marathon length) and finish at a reasonable time...or in the case of the marathon...before they close down the course and stop timing entrants.  The elitists at the Florida Track Club have already stated that six hours is the deadline for finishing their upcoming marathon, after which runners are on their own and will not be furnished with posted finishing times.  A shoddy attitude, I think, considering the money laid out to enter the race, but obstinate, disagreeable people are everywhere and I would be better served focusing on my own attitude and behavior in response.  Let's try out this new alternation of walking and running and see where it gets me, elitists or not.  On the surface, it seems to make sense.  With this new structure I'm walking more than half the time while I'm running more than half the distance...

Boys with Toys

While shopping with Melissa the other day, I was very carefully steering our shopping cart past other customers along an especially crowded stretch of the store.  And then, straight toward us, an employee was casually pushing an imposing-looking pallet jack.  I watched him as he approached...and then he took out his cell phone and started looking at it while nonchalantly navigating his jack past without regard to anyone around...I guess it was up to us to get out of his way.  People whipping out their phones...what a scourge of our times.  Have you ever found yourself talking to someone, only to look over and see that they're zoned out and ignoring you, scrolling on their phone?  The only thing worse I know is the increasingly frightening circumstance of people...in anger...pulling out guns without any sense of restraint in using them.  It's become far too commonplace on the news to be met with the story of a shooter at a school, church, home or business...and often it's a minor who has committed the crime.  In the 1995 James Bond flick Goldeneye, Agent 007's Russian female partner Natalya Simonova had a contemptuous name for this phenomenon for pervasive and often harmful obsession with gadgetry: Boys with Toys.  So we're now living...or trying to stay alive...in the "Boys (and Girls) with Toys" era: whoopee...   

My Designed Running Loop Courses, Then and Now

My old running block (~3 miles) from my late teen years in Davie, Florida is the standard I use to evaluate the various training courses I've designed, especially those within the past twenty years.  These days my running (often combined with walking) takes place on asphalt road surfaces, while back then practically the entire loop was off-road, on the grass.  For a south Florida locale like Davie...where I went to school...running on grass was totally fine since there wasn't the prevalence of holes in the ground to trip up on like there are up here in northern Florida. I like seeing where I'm stepping...in my own back yard I have to be careful where I plant my feet.  But hitting a hard surface still takes its toll on legs' soft tissue, and I have to take care not to over-train.  That's one big reason I've taken to increasing my speed-walking emphasis...less taxing on the joints. My current standard 3.3-mile neighborhood loop has me passing many, many houses while I have to be attentive...even during low-traffic times of the day...to residents and visitors pulling in and out of driveways.  And then there's often a creepy vehicle or another that drives around me and then just stops in the road, as if the driver is some kind of stalker or Zimmerman-type neighborhood vigilante.  Pedestrians are truly the vulnerable class in this world loaded with suspicion and violently-inclined folks with weapons.  One of my favorite books from some fifteen years ago is Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes.  In it he describes his late-night early morning long-distance training runs...one time he ran thirty miles around San Francisco in his underwear!  I can see myself doing something like that...and then get arrested and have my mug shot plastered over my local news station's screen: no thanks.  No, there are definitely times I want to stay off the road, and one of these is when it's dark outside. As for multiple laps on my loop, fifty years ago in March 1975 I once ran five laps on my old Davie loop, amassing nearly 15 total miles.  In Gainesville, unless I'm running or walking around the block (.7 mile), I don't do multiple laps.  Instead I have extensions designed to the course that create the desired distance.  When I ran 26.6 miles on January 15, 2011 I had a pretty complex running route that took me into some interesting territory.  I haven't ventured any distance near that far in the last few years, unless you're talking the marathon I completed last November along the eastern end of the Hawthorne trail.  But training? I keep it measured and consistent, with lots of time for rest and recovery.  Still, I'd like to revisit that old Davie trail from time to time...

Football Just Not One of My Interests

Are you getting excited about the upcoming football season? I'm not. One reason rests in the fact that in my nearly 69 years of existence on this Earth, I have never, ever played a single down of tackle football. Sure, I've played flag football at school and touch football on informal occasions, but the sport that people get so riled up about is something I've never been an active part of. I watch my local news program and revel in the fact that the head sports announcer almost exclusively covers either University of Florida sports or high school athletics...and football regularly gets the heavy emphasis. I despise the coaches I had in both high school physical education class and that one time I was on the track team. In these settings there is a martial, military spirit about minors...albeit adolescent ones...having to snap to attention for their coach like he's some kind of boot camp drill sergeant: disgusting.  I see some of these power-sick individuals on the sidelines going off loudly against players who, God help them, actually make mistakes and wonder why everyone doesn't just turn off the TV or go home in protest to this kind of abuse.  And they actually make statues of star players and stage them outside home fields, as if these people were larger than life.  No one covers with enthusiasm when kids do well in math class at school, and I suppose that makes sense...but I never see any coverage either of local running races, at that's definitely a part of sports..  But football? You can have it. The other day there was a season-opening game between Iowa State and Kansas State...I couldn't care less who won.  But then the officials called a delay of game penalty on the Iowa State defense and their head coach literally went berserk on the sidelines, jumping up and down and screaming at the referees.  That dude should have been sacked on the spot...

Mini-Seminar on Avoiding Falls

This past Saturday morning (somebody) presented an educational meeting about the dangers of falling for seniors and ways to avoid them.  Melissa arranged it for us...all I had to do was drive us down to the gym conference room where it was being held.  We heard a nice talk describing the various situations that can put folks in danger of falling, and also participated in a test of our own individual susceptibility for falls.  Melissa and I did well with the tests...since I tend to be a bit on the athletic side I figured I would.  As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and strength, especially regarding the "fast-twitch" muscles that can quickly straighten them out when they lose balance, averting fall situations.  Also, bone density tends to lessen, creating the hazard of injuries from falling being compounded with broken bones. Sometimes I get down on the way the world is going, and it seems like people are getting meaner and meaner.  But there's good stuff as well, and this mini-seminar is a useful example...