During the past few days, I have run on four different occasions:
April 5: 3.3 miles in 31:31
April 7: 5.8 miles in 53:24
April 10: 4.81 miles in 45:34
April 12: 6.2 miles in 57:04
The times are reflective of my typical overall pace when I am going out on longer runs: a comfortable lope between nine and ten minutes per mile. I have been more careful in my recovery from the leg injury I sustained in January. I have been mostly using the treadmill, but Sunday's 4.81 mile run was on the road. I have noticed that the treadmill creates a lesser shock on the legs upon impact, although with recovery I intend to gradually wean myself from it.
But the main news to report is that, in none of my runs did I experience any pain or even discomfort in my right knee area where my IT band injury was focused. Hooray! But I will continue to be cautiously optimistic while mixing my workouts with other activities. Like swimming, for example.
I have been assiduous with swimming on my off-days from running, doing multiple laps, gaining endurance, and practicing my breathing. I have also developed my breaststroke, although I still have a long way to go with it before I am comfortable swimming breaststroke 25-meter laps. But it seems to be the least tiring of the strokes, so learning it should add to my enjoyment of swimming.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sidewalks Not All They're Cracked Up to Be
I have a problem with sidewalks. They are supposed to be relatively safe paths for pedestrians to travel down, away from the dangers of street traffic. But the fact that most sidewalks are concrete, with cracks, makes them dangerous in themselves. Especially to those with various disabilities that limit their mobility. I'm thinking chiefly of the blind, near-blind, and elderly feeble. With the elderly a bad fall, because of their aged, brittle bones, can have a fatal cascading effect, and a bad fall can be as close as the next crack in a supposedly safe sidewalk. Cracks are put there to keep the expanding concrete intact, but what often happens is that shifts in the underlying ground will cause one segment of the sidewalk to lift slightly in relation to the next, causing a tripping hazard where the two segments meet. But one doesn't need to have a disability to be in danger: I have come close to some pretty awful falls myself while running on sidewalks.
And I don't know why concrete is used for sidewalks, anyway. Why not make all sidewalks from the same asphalt generally used for streets? That material, which incidentally is much softer of a surface to walk or run on than concrete, is not subject to the same cracking under pressure and thus doesn't require built-in cracks.
Last year (and into January this year), part of my long-distance training course involved running on sidewalks part of the way. I will not be doing this again, though. I must take care of my body and try to prevent injuries, especially to my feet, legs, and knees. It makes me wince to see others pounding down sidewalks while jogging, especially when I know that they have alternatives to this. I know at least that I won't be wincing at myself!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Are e-Readers for Me?
Today I walked into the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Jacksonville and tried out one of their demonstration models of The Nook electronic reader. I left more puzzled than ever as to why I would want to buy it.
For one, there are The Nook, Kindle, and iPad competing against each other in the e-reader market. What would happen if I were to invest in one of the readers that fizzled into extinction? Also, so what if I can download thousands of books onto my reader: for one, that means that I spent TENS of thousands of dollars on downloaded books and two, when am I going to find the time to read all of this stuff? Plus, I already have a FREE alternative to e-readers: the public library. I can look up a book online in the library's catalog and have it placed on hold at the branch library closest to me. When it's ready for pickup, I'll be notified. Then I can check it out for four weeks, with two renewals possible. And if they don't have the specific title I want? I can place a purchase suggestion, and they will in all probability buy it and have it ready for my checkout in the span of a few weeks.
There are other questions I have about e-readers, chief among them the portability of my purchases. I could see the feasibility of purchasing downloaded books if I were able to transfer them to newer e-readers or my home computer. What if I lose my e-reader or it becomes irreparably damaged? What happens to my purchased downloads on it and can they be replaced?
And what about the overwhelming amount of books that are out of print? E-readers are useless, unless of course those out-of-print books are eventually digitalized as well (this did happen with out-of-"print" musical records that became digitalized for computer and MP3 downloading).
I don't reject the idea of e-readers outright, but I am still a bit skeptical of their usefulness. For me right now, at least. Should my above-expressed concerns be addressed to my satisfaction in the future, though, I'm sure my opinion will change. But in the meantime, I am already swimming in abundant and quality reading material!
For one, there are The Nook, Kindle, and iPad competing against each other in the e-reader market. What would happen if I were to invest in one of the readers that fizzled into extinction? Also, so what if I can download thousands of books onto my reader: for one, that means that I spent TENS of thousands of dollars on downloaded books and two, when am I going to find the time to read all of this stuff? Plus, I already have a FREE alternative to e-readers: the public library. I can look up a book online in the library's catalog and have it placed on hold at the branch library closest to me. When it's ready for pickup, I'll be notified. Then I can check it out for four weeks, with two renewals possible. And if they don't have the specific title I want? I can place a purchase suggestion, and they will in all probability buy it and have it ready for my checkout in the span of a few weeks.
There are other questions I have about e-readers, chief among them the portability of my purchases. I could see the feasibility of purchasing downloaded books if I were able to transfer them to newer e-readers or my home computer. What if I lose my e-reader or it becomes irreparably damaged? What happens to my purchased downloads on it and can they be replaced?
And what about the overwhelming amount of books that are out of print? E-readers are useless, unless of course those out-of-print books are eventually digitalized as well (this did happen with out-of-"print" musical records that became digitalized for computer and MP3 downloading).
I don't reject the idea of e-readers outright, but I am still a bit skeptical of their usefulness. For me right now, at least. Should my above-expressed concerns be addressed to my satisfaction in the future, though, I'm sure my opinion will change. But in the meantime, I am already swimming in abundant and quality reading material!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
This Blog Now Four Years Old
Four years and one day ago, I began this blog. Now, some 1,300-plus articles later, it seems to be pretty much the same as how I began it: a hodgepodge of topics ranging from personal to philosophical to news and opinion to sports and entertainment. With a little weather thrown in on the side...
I don't know from day to day exactly what I will be writing about. Some days I either can't think of anything or I don't have the time, and that day lapses as a gap in the blog. But for the most part, I have tried successfully to publish something on a daily basis (even if it's silly).
I have no intention to end this blog anytime soon. In fact, I have some ideas up my sleeve to increase readership. But I will continue along the same format I have been using.
By the way, feel free to ready ANY of the many articles I have written since April 2007 and comment on any you'd like: I will read them all (and maybe comment on your comment). And there's no need to identify yourself either: just comment anonymously or leave a pseudonym instead of your actual name if you prefer.
I don't know from day to day exactly what I will be writing about. Some days I either can't think of anything or I don't have the time, and that day lapses as a gap in the blog. But for the most part, I have tried successfully to publish something on a daily basis (even if it's silly).
I have no intention to end this blog anytime soon. In fact, I have some ideas up my sleeve to increase readership. But I will continue along the same format I have been using.
By the way, feel free to ready ANY of the many articles I have written since April 2007 and comment on any you'd like: I will read them all (and maybe comment on your comment). And there's no need to identify yourself either: just comment anonymously or leave a pseudonym instead of your actual name if you prefer.
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Federal Debt Impasse and Shutdown
I don't want a federal government shutdown, but I applaud the president for not (yet) caving in to Republican demands, which go far beyond simply exercising fiscal restraint. If practicing fiscal responsibility were the single overriding factor in the GOP's push in congress this year, then I would be inclined to be sympathetic and supportive of their efforts. But unfortunately, their actions betray their words. For one, they keep insisting on deepening the deficit much more by giving tax breaks to the rich. Their chief argument for this is that it will stimulate economic growth. The irony is that the very same people condemned the Democrats a couple of years ago for their economic stimulus plan because it would increase the deficit. For another, the Republicans are tacking on a social agenda that kowtows to their religious base and to right-wing media. So we have demands to end any federal funding relating to an organization promoting family planning (which includes possible abortion decisions, although federal funds are already prohibited by law from being applied specifically there) as well as calls to completely cut off public broadcasting. These demands do very little to bring down the deficit, but they serve to shore up the base in their party.
President Obama really has no choice but to stand firm. His party has already gone far enough to accommodate Republican deficit concerns by essentially agreeing to an earlier GOP proposal cutting $30 billion. But it seems that with each step the Democrats take to reach an agreement, the Republicans step back further and make more demands. I am convinced that the Republicans want this shutdown and believe that they can turn it to their political advantage. And who knows, with the way the American voters turned to wacko fringe right-wing elements in the 2010 election, they may be right. To steal a line from Michael Moore, "Dude, where's my country?"
President Obama is not an extreme left-wing president as his political opponents have alleged. If anything, he has shown himself to be a collaborator, always searching out coalitions and compromises. This is not necessarily a positive trait, though. The health care reform act, which received almost zero Republican support, nevertheless was watered down so much during its legislation through various amendments and compromises that it is now only a shadow of its original vision. That Obama allowed Libya's Gadhafi time to regroup while seeking an international consensus for military intervention has created a bloody stalemate there.
It's about time that our president draw a line and adhere to it. Now.
President Obama really has no choice but to stand firm. His party has already gone far enough to accommodate Republican deficit concerns by essentially agreeing to an earlier GOP proposal cutting $30 billion. But it seems that with each step the Democrats take to reach an agreement, the Republicans step back further and make more demands. I am convinced that the Republicans want this shutdown and believe that they can turn it to their political advantage. And who knows, with the way the American voters turned to wacko fringe right-wing elements in the 2010 election, they may be right. To steal a line from Michael Moore, "Dude, where's my country?"
President Obama is not an extreme left-wing president as his political opponents have alleged. If anything, he has shown himself to be a collaborator, always searching out coalitions and compromises. This is not necessarily a positive trait, though. The health care reform act, which received almost zero Republican support, nevertheless was watered down so much during its legislation through various amendments and compromises that it is now only a shadow of its original vision. That Obama allowed Libya's Gadhafi time to regroup while seeking an international consensus for military intervention has created a bloody stalemate there.
It's about time that our president draw a line and adhere to it. Now.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The So-Called "Bad" Game
I have heard a lot about how "bad" the recent NCAA men's basketball championship game was between Butler and Connecticut, held this past Monday evening. The main rationale for this complaint was that both teams, and especially Butler, missed a lot of shots throughout the game. Butler only made 12 of 64 field goal attempts, a new record percentage low for NCAA championship games. The analysts on CBS were beside themselves slamming both teams and the game as a whole. But I have a different interpretation.
Butler and Connecticut both made it to the final primarily by virtue of their tenacious defensive play. In an earlier tournament game, Florida's usually frenzied, high-octane offense was slowed down effectively by Butler, which won the game at the end when the Gators simply could not stop them from scoring on drive after drive after drive. That Connecticut was so effective in pressuring Butler to take bad shots is to their credit as a championship team and shouldn't detract from Butler. I have followed many Florida basketball games over the years, and the analysts always judged the opponent's field goal percentage in terms of Florida's defense. If the opponent had a low percentage, then the Gators were given credit for doing a good job defending them. That's the way I see Butler's poor shooting performance in Monday's game: Connecticut did a good job defending them, consequently winning 53-41.
I have seen times like during the NBA All-Star game when there has been little or no defensive pressure applied by either team to the other. There was a lot of scoring and some spectacular-looking drives to the basket as well as difficult-looking three-point shots, but it wasn't well-played basketball to me. The game between Butler and Connecticut was a good, hard fought out game that determined a true champion: the Connecticut Huskies!
Butler and Connecticut both made it to the final primarily by virtue of their tenacious defensive play. In an earlier tournament game, Florida's usually frenzied, high-octane offense was slowed down effectively by Butler, which won the game at the end when the Gators simply could not stop them from scoring on drive after drive after drive. That Connecticut was so effective in pressuring Butler to take bad shots is to their credit as a championship team and shouldn't detract from Butler. I have followed many Florida basketball games over the years, and the analysts always judged the opponent's field goal percentage in terms of Florida's defense. If the opponent had a low percentage, then the Gators were given credit for doing a good job defending them. That's the way I see Butler's poor shooting performance in Monday's game: Connecticut did a good job defending them, consequently winning 53-41.
I have seen times like during the NBA All-Star game when there has been little or no defensive pressure applied by either team to the other. There was a lot of scoring and some spectacular-looking drives to the basket as well as difficult-looking three-point shots, but it wasn't well-played basketball to me. The game between Butler and Connecticut was a good, hard fought out game that determined a true champion: the Connecticut Huskies!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
My MP3 Playlist
As long as I am into making lists of songs, I might as well list the songs I listen regularly to on my "favorites" playlist on my MP3 player. On it are the usual suspects: Radiohead, Regina Spektor, Sufjan Stevens, Nirvana, Metric, MGMT, Spoon, and a not-so-new act that I just recently discovered: DeVotchka. DeVotchka's current indie/alternative hit 100 Other Lovers is currently my favorite song of the year, along with Radiohead's These Are My Twisted Words. By the way, I just heard Radiohead's new album The King of Limbs. I like all of the songs, but I was mistaken in an earlier article I wrote, believing then that Twisted Words would be one of the tracks. It isn't, and Radiohead's new album only has eight songs. But I'll take it!
Here's my playlist, in the order that I hear the songs:
These Are My Twisted Words by Radiohead
Merchants of Soul by Spoon
Faust Arp by Radiohead
Morning Bell (Kid A version) by Radiohead
I Might Be Wrong by Radiohead
In Limbo by Radiohead
Go to Sleep by Radiohead
Sail to the Moon by Radiohead
Scentless Apprentice by Nirvana
Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens
Better by Regina Spektor
Reckoner by Radiohead
Morning Bell (Amnesiac version) by Radiohead
20 Years of Snow by Regina Spektor
Idioteque by Radiohead
Time to Pretend by MGMT
Man of a Thousand Faces by Regina Spektor
Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head by Sufjan Stevens
Us by Regina Spektor
Dumb by Nirvana
Calculation (Theme) by Metric
100 Other Lovers by DeVotchka
Why not try listening to some of these and tell me what you think!
Here's my playlist, in the order that I hear the songs:
These Are My Twisted Words by Radiohead
Merchants of Soul by Spoon
Faust Arp by Radiohead
Morning Bell (Kid A version) by Radiohead
I Might Be Wrong by Radiohead
In Limbo by Radiohead
Go to Sleep by Radiohead
Sail to the Moon by Radiohead
Scentless Apprentice by Nirvana
Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens
Better by Regina Spektor
Reckoner by Radiohead
Morning Bell (Amnesiac version) by Radiohead
20 Years of Snow by Regina Spektor
Idioteque by Radiohead
Time to Pretend by MGMT
Man of a Thousand Faces by Regina Spektor
Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head by Sufjan Stevens
Us by Regina Spektor
Dumb by Nirvana
Calculation (Theme) by Metric
100 Other Lovers by DeVotchka
Why not try listening to some of these and tell me what you think!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
List Madness: Beatles From Top to Bottom
This is my highly personal, very subjective list of studio-recorded Beatles songs (excluding the BBC recordings) from top favorite to least favorite. In compiling it, I combined some tracks together into single songs: from the album Sgt Pepper, I combined that title song's reprise with the final track A Day in the Life, the way radio used to play it. And from Abbey Road, I combined the individual components of the two outstanding medleys there into coherent pieces.
I was going to list each song's album, the way I had done earlier when I put out a similar list of Led Zeppelin songs. But until the Sgt. Pepper album came out, the U.K. and U.S. released different albums simultaneously, making the identification of each song's album a major headache. So I left the albums off this list. Sorry...
I think the Beatles are the greatest, and I like most of their material a lot. It isn't until I get around #170-180 on this list that I come across songs that begin to irritate me. So a song that seems buried on the list isn't necessarily one I don't value.
One more note: the least favorite song here is actually pretty good, musically. It's message, though, was so abhorrent that it sank straight to the bottom!
Well, here goes my list...
1 Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
2 For No One
3 Eleanor Rigby
4 Strawberry Fields Forever
5 Twist and Shout
6 Blackbird
7 Tomorrow Never Knows
8 Happy Just to Dance With You
9 Good Night
10 The Two of Us
11 Sgt. Pepper reprise/A Day in the Life
12 Across the Universe
13 Old Brown Shoe
14 Doctor Robert
15 Words of Love
16 PS I Love You
17 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
18 The Inner Light
19 Slow Down
20 Hello Goodbye
21 You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
22 And Your Bird Can Sing
23 All You Need Is Love
24 All Together Now
25 You Can't Do That
26 When I Get Home
27 She's a Woman
28 Michelle
29 Long Tall Sally
30 The Long and Winding Road
31 I'll Cry Instead
32 I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends
33 I Am the Walrus
34 I Saw Her Standing There
35 Get Back (singles version)
36 Every Little Thing
37 Martha My Dear
38 Another Girl
39 Things We Said Today
40 Ticket to Ride
41 Everbody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
42 We Can Work It Out
43 She's Leaving Home
44 I'm a Loser
45 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
46 Yesterday
47 Revolution 9
48 What You're Doing
49 The Night Before
50 Fixing a Hole
51 Revolution (singles version)
52 Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
53 It Won't Be Long
54 Norwegian Wood
55 Anna
56 Honey Pie
57 Back in the USSR
58 Hey Jude
59 I've Got a Feeling
60 Penny Lane
61 It's Getting Better
62 Here, There, and Everywhere
63 I'm Only Sleeping
64 Your Mother Should Know
65 Taxman
66 Money
67 Thank You Girl
68 And I Love Her
69 Love Me Do
70 Paperback Writer
71 I'll Be Back
72 I've Just Seen a Face
73 If I Needed Someone
74 Cry Baby Cry
75 Hold Me Tight
76 She Said She Said
77 In My Life
78 Sun King
79 Wait
80 I Don't Want to Spoil the Party
81 I'll Follow the Sun
82 Tell Me Why
83 Matchbox
84 You Never Give Me Your Money
85 Got to Get You Into My Life
86 Don't Bother Me
87 I Want to Tell You
88 For You Blue
90 Lady Madonna
91 I Call Your Name
92 I Will
93 Boys
94 Rock and Roll Music
95 Daytripper
96 Devil in Her Heart
97 Do You Want to Know a Secret
98 Glass Onion
99 Yes It Is
100 I'm Down
101 A Hard Day's Night
102 Anytime at All
103 You're Gonna Lose That Girl
104 Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand
105 Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
106 Fool on the Hill
107 Sexy Sadie
108 Bad Boy
109 Drive My Car
110 I Want to Your Hand
111 Lovely Rita Meter Maid
112 Baby You're a Rich Man
113 Good Morning Good Morning
114 Savoy Truffle
115 Mother Nature's Son
116 Why Don't We Do It In the Road
117 Tell Me What You See
118 Because
119 I Need You
120 Think for Yourself
121 Baby's in Black
122 Can't Buy Me Love
123 The Rain
124 Girl
125 From Me to You
126 Sie Lieb Dich
127 Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite
128 I Want You (She's So Heavy)
129 You Really Got a Hold On Me
130 I'm Looking Through You
131 Mother Nature's Son
132 Helter Skelter
133 Love You To
134 Birthday
135 It's Only Love
136 Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
137 Happiness is a Warm Gun
138 Yer Blues
139 Good Day Sunshine
140 Help!
141 Not a Second Time
142 Revolution 1 (white album version)
143 You Won't See Me
144 Dear Prudence
145 Long, Long, Long
146 When I'm 64
147 I Should Have Known Better
148 I Feel Fine
149 All My Loving
150 There's a Place
151 Roll Over Beethoven
152 She Loves You
153 Rocky Raccoon
154 The Word
155 Within You Without You
156 Kansas City
157 Mr Moonlight
158 All I've Gotta Do
159 Dig It
160 Magical Mystery Tour
161 Please Please Me
162 Don't Pass Me By
163 Octopus's Garden
164 Misery
165 You Won't See Me
166 It's All Too Much
167 No Reply
168 Chains
169 I Wanna Be Your Man
170 Piggies
171 Honey Don't
172 I'm So Tired
173 Let It Be
174 If I Fell
175 One After 909
176 What Goes On
177 Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
178 Ask Me Why
179 Act Naturally
180 Oh! Darling
181 Yellow Submarine
182 You Like Me Too Much
183 Maxwell's Silver Hammer
184 A Taste of Honey
185 I Dig a Pony
186 I'll Get You
187 Till There Was You
188 Dizzy Miss Lizzy
189 Julia
190 Please Mr Postman
191 Something
192 Blue Jay Way
193 Eight Days a Week
194 Don't Let Me Down
195 Baby It's You
196 This Boy
197 Wild Honey Pie
198 Flying
199 I Me Mine
200 Hey Bulldog
201 Her Majesty
202 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
203 Come Together
204 Maggie Mae
205 You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)
206 Only a Northern Song
207 Free as a Bird
208 Real Love
209 Run For Your Life
I was going to list each song's album, the way I had done earlier when I put out a similar list of Led Zeppelin songs. But until the Sgt. Pepper album came out, the U.K. and U.S. released different albums simultaneously, making the identification of each song's album a major headache. So I left the albums off this list. Sorry...
I think the Beatles are the greatest, and I like most of their material a lot. It isn't until I get around #170-180 on this list that I come across songs that begin to irritate me. So a song that seems buried on the list isn't necessarily one I don't value.
One more note: the least favorite song here is actually pretty good, musically. It's message, though, was so abhorrent that it sank straight to the bottom!
Well, here goes my list...
1 Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
2 For No One
3 Eleanor Rigby
4 Strawberry Fields Forever
5 Twist and Shout
6 Blackbird
7 Tomorrow Never Knows
8 Happy Just to Dance With You
9 Good Night
10 The Two of Us
11 Sgt. Pepper reprise/A Day in the Life
12 Across the Universe
13 Old Brown Shoe
14 Doctor Robert
15 Words of Love
16 PS I Love You
17 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
18 The Inner Light
19 Slow Down
20 Hello Goodbye
21 You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
22 And Your Bird Can Sing
23 All You Need Is Love
24 All Together Now
25 You Can't Do That
26 When I Get Home
27 She's a Woman
28 Michelle
29 Long Tall Sally
30 The Long and Winding Road
31 I'll Cry Instead
32 I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends
33 I Am the Walrus
34 I Saw Her Standing There
35 Get Back (singles version)
36 Every Little Thing
37 Martha My Dear
38 Another Girl
39 Things We Said Today
40 Ticket to Ride
41 Everbody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
42 We Can Work It Out
43 She's Leaving Home
44 I'm a Loser
45 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
46 Yesterday
47 Revolution 9
48 What You're Doing
49 The Night Before
50 Fixing a Hole
51 Revolution (singles version)
52 Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
53 It Won't Be Long
54 Norwegian Wood
55 Anna
56 Honey Pie
57 Back in the USSR
58 Hey Jude
59 I've Got a Feeling
60 Penny Lane
61 It's Getting Better
62 Here, There, and Everywhere
63 I'm Only Sleeping
64 Your Mother Should Know
65 Taxman
66 Money
67 Thank You Girl
68 And I Love Her
69 Love Me Do
70 Paperback Writer
71 I'll Be Back
72 I've Just Seen a Face
73 If I Needed Someone
74 Cry Baby Cry
75 Hold Me Tight
76 She Said She Said
77 In My Life
78 Sun King
79 Wait
80 I Don't Want to Spoil the Party
81 I'll Follow the Sun
82 Tell Me Why
83 Matchbox
84 You Never Give Me Your Money
85 Got to Get You Into My Life
86 Don't Bother Me
87 I Want to Tell You
88 For You Blue
90 Lady Madonna
91 I Call Your Name
92 I Will
93 Boys
94 Rock and Roll Music
95 Daytripper
96 Devil in Her Heart
97 Do You Want to Know a Secret
98 Glass Onion
99 Yes It Is
100 I'm Down
101 A Hard Day's Night
102 Anytime at All
103 You're Gonna Lose That Girl
104 Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand
105 Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
106 Fool on the Hill
107 Sexy Sadie
108 Bad Boy
109 Drive My Car
110 I Want to Your Hand
111 Lovely Rita Meter Maid
112 Baby You're a Rich Man
113 Good Morning Good Morning
114 Savoy Truffle
115 Mother Nature's Son
116 Why Don't We Do It In the Road
117 Tell Me What You See
118 Because
119 I Need You
120 Think for Yourself
121 Baby's in Black
122 Can't Buy Me Love
123 The Rain
124 Girl
125 From Me to You
126 Sie Lieb Dich
127 Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite
128 I Want You (She's So Heavy)
129 You Really Got a Hold On Me
130 I'm Looking Through You
131 Mother Nature's Son
132 Helter Skelter
133 Love You To
134 Birthday
135 It's Only Love
136 Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
137 Happiness is a Warm Gun
138 Yer Blues
139 Good Day Sunshine
140 Help!
141 Not a Second Time
142 Revolution 1 (white album version)
143 You Won't See Me
144 Dear Prudence
145 Long, Long, Long
146 When I'm 64
147 I Should Have Known Better
148 I Feel Fine
149 All My Loving
150 There's a Place
151 Roll Over Beethoven
152 She Loves You
153 Rocky Raccoon
154 The Word
155 Within You Without You
156 Kansas City
157 Mr Moonlight
158 All I've Gotta Do
159 Dig It
160 Magical Mystery Tour
161 Please Please Me
162 Don't Pass Me By
163 Octopus's Garden
164 Misery
165 You Won't See Me
166 It's All Too Much
167 No Reply
168 Chains
169 I Wanna Be Your Man
170 Piggies
171 Honey Don't
172 I'm So Tired
173 Let It Be
174 If I Fell
175 One After 909
176 What Goes On
177 Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
178 Ask Me Why
179 Act Naturally
180 Oh! Darling
181 Yellow Submarine
182 You Like Me Too Much
183 Maxwell's Silver Hammer
184 A Taste of Honey
185 I Dig a Pony
186 I'll Get You
187 Till There Was You
188 Dizzy Miss Lizzy
189 Julia
190 Please Mr Postman
191 Something
192 Blue Jay Way
193 Eight Days a Week
194 Don't Let Me Down
195 Baby It's You
196 This Boy
197 Wild Honey Pie
198 Flying
199 I Me Mine
200 Hey Bulldog
201 Her Majesty
202 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
203 Come Together
204 Maggie Mae
205 You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)
206 Only a Northern Song
207 Free as a Bird
208 Real Love
209 Run For Your Life
Monday, April 4, 2011
Positive Negative Experience
Sometimes when I get up early in the day, I get a little tired in the afternoon. If I find myself in a stressful situation, that fatigue can contribute to anxiety and possible resulting bad decisions on my part. Case in point: today I got up a little after 6 AM. This afternoon, instead of taking a good, long nap I went shopping in a very congested part of town, in a very crowded store that wasn't being managed very well. Driving home I realized that I wasn't going to have the opportunity to rest anytime soon, so I reacted to the stress by going to the nearby Dunkin' Donuts and blowing some of my money on a coffee and a couple of doughnuts. Doughnuts are just about the last thing I need to be eating, for various reasons. But I happen to be one of those poor souls who tend to react to stress and fatigue by eating sweets, and here I was doing just that. I rationalized my action by taking stuff inside Dunkin' Donuts to study while I stuffed my face. But once inside, I had no peace: the entire miserable time was taken up with noisy workers, noisy customers, and noisy customers' even noisier screaming kids. A-A-A-G-H!!!
I ate my two doughnuts (which didn't taste all that good either) and left feeling angry. Now separated from that negative experience for a few hours, I have changed my interpretation of it all; I am glad that it went bad for me, since this will help me to change my bad habit of stressful eating. Also...
It also gave me something to write about on this blog today besides that evil, very disturbed individual and his supporting cast of nonentity sycophant idiots who knowingly caused the deaths of several people overseas with their book burning party...in my own home town. Way to go, A.H.'s!
I ate my two doughnuts (which didn't taste all that good either) and left feeling angry. Now separated from that negative experience for a few hours, I have changed my interpretation of it all; I am glad that it went bad for me, since this will help me to change my bad habit of stressful eating. Also...
It also gave me something to write about on this blog today besides that evil, very disturbed individual and his supporting cast of nonentity sycophant idiots who knowingly caused the deaths of several people overseas with their book burning party...in my own home town. Way to go, A.H.'s!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Butler This Year's Butler
It seems that with every year in the NCAA men's basketball championship tournament, at least one low-seeded team from an obscure college goes far in it, even sometimes making the vaunted Final Four. Last year, Butler University (in Indiana) surprised everyone with the Bulldogs not only making it to the Final Four, but also getting to the national championship game against Duke and barely losing it to the heavy favorite. So the doubtless-overpaid sports television and radio pundits have been at it this year, wondering which underdog will go far in the tournament, and phrasing the question as "Who is this year's Butler?" Well, guess what? Butler is this year's Butler!
Once again lowly Butler University got it going at tourney time and is now on the cusp of a national championship, with only the Connecticut Huskies standing in their way. The canines play each other for the title on Monday evening.
I thought that Virginia Commonwealth, Butler's most recent opponent, had all of the markings of a great upstart, energetic team playing well beyond its record. But I was wrong, and the team that kept my Florida Gators from reaching the Final Four this year by beating them in overtime has endured.
Still, I haven't forgiven Butler for knocking out my Gators: I'm pulling for the hairy dogs at UConn!
Once again lowly Butler University got it going at tourney time and is now on the cusp of a national championship, with only the Connecticut Huskies standing in their way. The canines play each other for the title on Monday evening.
I thought that Virginia Commonwealth, Butler's most recent opponent, had all of the markings of a great upstart, energetic team playing well beyond its record. But I was wrong, and the team that kept my Florida Gators from reaching the Final Four this year by beating them in overtime has endured.
Still, I haven't forgiven Butler for knocking out my Gators: I'm pulling for the hairy dogs at UConn!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Press, Human Rights, and Military Intervention
Seeing that the issue of international human rights is so crucial to us as Americans to the point that we consider militarily intervening from time to time in other countries in order to prevent the most flagrant abuses, it would behoove us to examine the role that the press plays in targeting one nation for human rights abuse charges over another. For example, regarding the situation in western Africa's Ivory Coast, where a sitting president's refusal to relinquish power after losing an election has led to a very bloody civil war, the press coverage has been minimal, to say the least. And guess what? You don't hear our president weighing in on any possible intervention to save lives there. But Libya is another matter. The press has seized on the overall theme of recent Arab popular revolts in many countries and has made Libya's war-torn population a more compelling case for intervention. To me, intervention would have made sense had it been done in a more timely manner, before the dictatorship there had been given time to reestablish military dominance over the rebels. Now it seems that the so-called humanitarian intervention on the part of the U.S. and its NATO allies is only serving to create a stalemate. And stalemates can end up costing a lot more lives than would a quick ending to the war, regardless who wins.
The situation in Libya being what it may be now, the fact still remains that the world is full of places where human rights are grossly ignored, places that the press virtually ignores as well. So why did the U.S. get involved in Libya?
Well, for one, Libya is a major oil producer, with western European nations its chief customers. For another, the U.S. fleet is already in the Mediterranean, right off the Libyan shores. It is already in position to launch missiles and bomb strategic targets there. Neither of these conditions applies elsewhere, especially to Ivory Coast. Also, Libyan tyrant Colonel Gadhafi is a proven instigator of international terrorism, having caused the deaths of innocent Americans while maintaining a bellicose posture in the past toward other nations in the area, particularly Israel, Egypt, and Chad. The same cannot be said for Ivory Coast's intransigent president.
So is the press primarily responsible for making Libya a priority for intervention over other human rights crises, or are the self-interests of the neighboring nations, the United States, and the West in general the true determining factors? And if protecting human rights is being used as a cover for protecting or promoting national self-interests, isn't a free and independent press, with all of the ethics pertaining to the field of journalism, responsible for pointing this out consistently and vehemently?
The situation in Libya being what it may be now, the fact still remains that the world is full of places where human rights are grossly ignored, places that the press virtually ignores as well. So why did the U.S. get involved in Libya?
Well, for one, Libya is a major oil producer, with western European nations its chief customers. For another, the U.S. fleet is already in the Mediterranean, right off the Libyan shores. It is already in position to launch missiles and bomb strategic targets there. Neither of these conditions applies elsewhere, especially to Ivory Coast. Also, Libyan tyrant Colonel Gadhafi is a proven instigator of international terrorism, having caused the deaths of innocent Americans while maintaining a bellicose posture in the past toward other nations in the area, particularly Israel, Egypt, and Chad. The same cannot be said for Ivory Coast's intransigent president.
So is the press primarily responsible for making Libya a priority for intervention over other human rights crises, or are the self-interests of the neighboring nations, the United States, and the West in general the true determining factors? And if protecting human rights is being used as a cover for protecting or promoting national self-interests, isn't a free and independent press, with all of the ethics pertaining to the field of journalism, responsible for pointing this out consistently and vehemently?
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Beatles and Lists
Forthcoming on this blog is a list of just about all of the studio-recorded Beatles songs (excluding their BBC recordings), with them ranked from top to bottom according to MY tastes. I decided to do this after watching VH1's show of their own list of the 100 top musical acts of all-time. I confess that I only saw the final hour when they were going through the top ten. I could guess ahead that acts like Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and of course the Beatles would be revealed to be at the top. But I was astonished that, after Elvis was presented to be only at #7, Prince was ranked ahead of the King at #6. This artist, also known as The Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, is in my opinion one of the supremely overrated acts in the history of pop music (and that's saying a lot). And coming in ahead of Presley? Ouch!
So as VH1 approached #1, it occurred to me that this station might pull a fast one this time and dethrone the Fab Four in favor of the late Mister Moonwalk. When #2 was shown, I breathed a sigh of relief: Jackson was there, and the Beatles made it through another year of this highly subjective scrutiny. Then I thought why do I care what others think? And then the preposterous thought boomeranged back: maybe others care about what I think! Hence, the upcoming list of my favorite Beatle tunes.
I do think that it is interesting that the Beatles are supposedly the top act of all time, since I hardly ever hear any of their music played on my sorry radio anymore. But that's O.K. with me: I have just about everything of theirs on MP3 and can even play out all of their songs in my head, I know them so well.
Everyone who followed popular music during their childhood always carries the memories of those songs and artists as personal markers of the events in their lives which happened while growing up. For me, the Beatles played a major role in my childhood. Hearing various songs conjures up vivid memories of things going around me at various times during the 1960's. How about you? Whom, if anyone, did you listen to in your youth?
So as VH1 approached #1, it occurred to me that this station might pull a fast one this time and dethrone the Fab Four in favor of the late Mister Moonwalk. When #2 was shown, I breathed a sigh of relief: Jackson was there, and the Beatles made it through another year of this highly subjective scrutiny. Then I thought why do I care what others think? And then the preposterous thought boomeranged back: maybe others care about what I think! Hence, the upcoming list of my favorite Beatle tunes.
I do think that it is interesting that the Beatles are supposedly the top act of all time, since I hardly ever hear any of their music played on my sorry radio anymore. But that's O.K. with me: I have just about everything of theirs on MP3 and can even play out all of their songs in my head, I know them so well.
Everyone who followed popular music during their childhood always carries the memories of those songs and artists as personal markers of the events in their lives which happened while growing up. For me, the Beatles played a major role in my childhood. Hearing various songs conjures up vivid memories of things going around me at various times during the 1960's. How about you? Whom, if anyone, did you listen to in your youth?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Personal Fitness Progress
After experiencing some warning feelings during a five-mile run on March 22, around my right knee where my IT band injury was concentrated , I decided to cool it with the running for a bit and space out runs a week apart instead of every other day. So this past Tuesday, exactly a week later, I ran 2.7 miles on the treadmill with nothing negative to report. I'll wait again until next Tuesday, when I'll either step up the distance on the treadmill or run a short distance on the street around my neighborhood.
Meanwhile, I have been trying my hand (or should I say "feet") with speed walking on the treadmill. Well, maybe at least it's "speed walking" for me: 4.0-4.6 mph pace for 1.5-2 miles. If I could keep a sustained speed of around 4.6-4.8 mph walking and then train for distance, I could actually participate in half-marathons (or even marathons) as a pure walker and finish the race before the time limit imposed by the organizers, usually three hours for the half-marathon and six for the marathon. I feel encouraged with my speed walking, although I have only been at it a relatively short time.
My swimming has progressed well, too. I am now comfortably swimming in the 25-meter lanes at my YMCA pool. I swim freestyle in one direction and on my back in a relaxed manner in the other. Yesterday I swam 16 laps this way and then went to the shallower main part of the pool to work on my breaststroke form, about which I still feel pretty awkward and self-conscious. But even there I think I improved.
Today I worked out at in the YMCA fitness center with their weights and elliptical trainer. By cross-training, I believe that this will strengthen my body as a whole and enable me to avoid injuries like that of my right iliotibial band that happened on January 15, when I ran 26.6 miles around far-northern Gainesville.
Meanwhile, I have been trying my hand (or should I say "feet") with speed walking on the treadmill. Well, maybe at least it's "speed walking" for me: 4.0-4.6 mph pace for 1.5-2 miles. If I could keep a sustained speed of around 4.6-4.8 mph walking and then train for distance, I could actually participate in half-marathons (or even marathons) as a pure walker and finish the race before the time limit imposed by the organizers, usually three hours for the half-marathon and six for the marathon. I feel encouraged with my speed walking, although I have only been at it a relatively short time.
My swimming has progressed well, too. I am now comfortably swimming in the 25-meter lanes at my YMCA pool. I swim freestyle in one direction and on my back in a relaxed manner in the other. Yesterday I swam 16 laps this way and then went to the shallower main part of the pool to work on my breaststroke form, about which I still feel pretty awkward and self-conscious. But even there I think I improved.
Today I worked out at in the YMCA fitness center with their weights and elliptical trainer. By cross-training, I believe that this will strengthen my body as a whole and enable me to avoid injuries like that of my right iliotibial band that happened on January 15, when I ran 26.6 miles around far-northern Gainesville.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Watching Yanks Opener a New Tradition?
The year has almost come around full circle from when my family and I visited Manhattan, New York. We had arrived and checked in to our hotel, the Marriott Marquis at Times Square, early in the evening on April 6. Discussing where we would eat dinner, my daughter mentioned a restaurant named Junior's she had seen just across the street (45th Street) from our hotel. So we went in there and had our first NYC dining experience. They had TVs positioned in a few locations, and by chance we were seated with me facing one tuned to the New York Yankees baseball season opener on the road against the Boston Red Sox. The major league regular season, at least for the Yanks, started on April 6 last year. This year it starts tomorrow, March 31, and the pinstripers will be at home this time, playing an afternoon game against the Detroit Tigers.
I had such a pleasant time for most of my New York visit that I would like to mark the occasion by starting traditions associated with it. One tradition that I think would be cool would be to mark the baseball season's start by watching the Yankees' opening game. Living in Gainesville, though, this is problematic as New York isn't a home team with any guarantee that their opener will always be shown on ESPN. Also, I will be at work in ensuing years (but not tomorrow). So I'll have to work some bugs out of this baseball opener tradition, I suppose, for it to take hold. My wife Melissa suggested eating cheesecake while watching the game, further connecting the experience with Junior's where we gorged ourselves on this dessert several times throughout our stay there.
I wonder what other traditions I could get going as well that relate to last year's New York trip. Well, I thought that I had wrung out enough material about my visit for several blog articles last year, but it looks as if there may be more in store!
I had such a pleasant time for most of my New York visit that I would like to mark the occasion by starting traditions associated with it. One tradition that I think would be cool would be to mark the baseball season's start by watching the Yankees' opening game. Living in Gainesville, though, this is problematic as New York isn't a home team with any guarantee that their opener will always be shown on ESPN. Also, I will be at work in ensuing years (but not tomorrow). So I'll have to work some bugs out of this baseball opener tradition, I suppose, for it to take hold. My wife Melissa suggested eating cheesecake while watching the game, further connecting the experience with Junior's where we gorged ourselves on this dessert several times throughout our stay there.
I wonder what other traditions I could get going as well that relate to last year's New York trip. Well, I thought that I had wrung out enough material about my visit for several blog articles last year, but it looks as if there may be more in store!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Gainesville Still Not Bicycle-Friendly
Except for a brief period in 1987, I have lived in Gainesville, Florida since 1977. For most of that time I extensively used bicycle travel either for basic transportation, exercise, or leisure. I have recently been increasing my bicycle riding, largely in part due to a leg injury that sidelined me from running for a while. If there's anyone in Gainesville familiar with the road conditions for bicyclists, then I'm that one. And I sadly have to say that, in spite of this town's boasting of being so bicycle-friendly, it has a long, long way to go before I can agree with that assertion.
It is true that Gainesville has its share of bike paths, but upon closer examination those paths tend to encourage north-south travel and are noticeably lacking in an east-west direction through the central portion of the city. The major east-west roads running through the city's center, i.e. University Avenue/Newberry Road, North 8th Avenue, North 16th Avenue, and North 23rd Avenue, are all deficient in bicycle paths. It is hazardous for bicyclists to employ these routes. Instead, one has to go north to 39th or 53rd Avenue or south to Archer or Williston Road to be able to travel down bicycle paths east-west. Lately there has been much discussion about proposals to make a bike path down NW 16th Avenue, but there is a significant level of opposition to any change.
Part of this opposition arises from the notion that spending public funds for bike paths is a waste of money since not that many people use bicycles as transportation. I find this argument circular: a lot of people don't use bicycles as transportation because there aren't the needed bike paths to make them feel safe! Another part of the opposition is more cultural: the country/rural "Deep South" culture is embedded in this area and tends to regard those choosing bicycle travel as being effete and highbrow. Then, there are also many thousands of university students from other parts of the state and country who are wed to their cars and have neither patience for bicyclists nor any desire to share the road with them. Finally, there is this strange, perverse notion that I have noticed among drivers that somehow being behind a wheel in a motorized vehicle makes their lives more legitimate than that of a bicyclist who is just as legally entitled to a place on the public street.
So I am still not at all satisfied with how far my Gainesville has gone to promote bicycle travel by creating strategically-located bicycle lanes. You don't have to put one down every road; just give bicyclists a way to design a course that allows them to reach their destinations without imperiling themselves at the hands of careless, selfish, and inattentive drivers!
It is true that Gainesville has its share of bike paths, but upon closer examination those paths tend to encourage north-south travel and are noticeably lacking in an east-west direction through the central portion of the city. The major east-west roads running through the city's center, i.e. University Avenue/Newberry Road, North 8th Avenue, North 16th Avenue, and North 23rd Avenue, are all deficient in bicycle paths. It is hazardous for bicyclists to employ these routes. Instead, one has to go north to 39th or 53rd Avenue or south to Archer or Williston Road to be able to travel down bicycle paths east-west. Lately there has been much discussion about proposals to make a bike path down NW 16th Avenue, but there is a significant level of opposition to any change.
Part of this opposition arises from the notion that spending public funds for bike paths is a waste of money since not that many people use bicycles as transportation. I find this argument circular: a lot of people don't use bicycles as transportation because there aren't the needed bike paths to make them feel safe! Another part of the opposition is more cultural: the country/rural "Deep South" culture is embedded in this area and tends to regard those choosing bicycle travel as being effete and highbrow. Then, there are also many thousands of university students from other parts of the state and country who are wed to their cars and have neither patience for bicyclists nor any desire to share the road with them. Finally, there is this strange, perverse notion that I have noticed among drivers that somehow being behind a wheel in a motorized vehicle makes their lives more legitimate than that of a bicyclist who is just as legally entitled to a place on the public street.
So I am still not at all satisfied with how far my Gainesville has gone to promote bicycle travel by creating strategically-located bicycle lanes. You don't have to put one down every road; just give bicyclists a way to design a course that allows them to reach their destinations without imperiling themselves at the hands of careless, selfish, and inattentive drivers!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson Series
I just finished reading the five-volume series by Rick Riordan titled Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Intended for Harry Potter devotees who wanted something similar to read, it partially filled the bill for me. And to shift the metaphor a bit, I'm trying to be a "glass-half-full" person. So I generally endorse it. Although...
The Percy Jackson books do introduce the reader to an alternative world running simultaneously parallel to our ordinary reality, much like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter does. Except with Jackson, it's not the world of magic with wizards but rather Greek mythology with its gods and monsters that prevail. In both series, ordinary folks like you and me (Potter's "muggles" and Jackson's "mortals") are shielded from any direct awareness of this due to either magical spells, or in the case of Jackson, something called "the Mist". Although the presentation of Greek mythology as an alternative reality intrigued me, I felt that the way Riordan presented it was something of a ripoff from Rowling. But maybe that's the whole point: readers want to continue with Potter-like stories. While Rowling spent more effort developing her characters, Riordan's emphasis was plot, with a lot of heavy-going action. There were many violent battle scenes throughout the series, so many in fact that I became somewhat numbed to them. I think this ultimately hindered Riordan's attempts to build up suspense in his story.
The Percy Jackson books were all a lot shorter, too, with none exceeding 400 pages. To me that was a plus. There are some authors who pad their works with too much extraneous material when they should be leaving some things to the reader's imagination. I'm thinking of Eragon author Christopher Paolini as a major offender in this regard.
I felt that I was regressing a bit in my reading level while churning through Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Also, these series tend to grind on one with the mysteries and subplots that grow and continue from one volume to the next until, with the final book, a lot of the text becomes bogged down with reconciling and explaining them.
Still, as fun, escapist reading, I liked this series. For kids, it is also a good, subtle introduction to Greek mythology as well as United States geography. A great portion of The Last Olympian, the final volume in this series, takes place in Manhattan, which I visited last April. It was interesting how Riordan wove various locations there into the story. I understand that Rick Riordan is in the middle of writing and releasing volumes of the sequel to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. But at least for now, I think I'll just try something else, thank you. Still, Jackson is pleasant, light reading.
The Percy Jackson books do introduce the reader to an alternative world running simultaneously parallel to our ordinary reality, much like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter does. Except with Jackson, it's not the world of magic with wizards but rather Greek mythology with its gods and monsters that prevail. In both series, ordinary folks like you and me (Potter's "muggles" and Jackson's "mortals") are shielded from any direct awareness of this due to either magical spells, or in the case of Jackson, something called "the Mist". Although the presentation of Greek mythology as an alternative reality intrigued me, I felt that the way Riordan presented it was something of a ripoff from Rowling. But maybe that's the whole point: readers want to continue with Potter-like stories. While Rowling spent more effort developing her characters, Riordan's emphasis was plot, with a lot of heavy-going action. There were many violent battle scenes throughout the series, so many in fact that I became somewhat numbed to them. I think this ultimately hindered Riordan's attempts to build up suspense in his story.
The Percy Jackson books were all a lot shorter, too, with none exceeding 400 pages. To me that was a plus. There are some authors who pad their works with too much extraneous material when they should be leaving some things to the reader's imagination. I'm thinking of Eragon author Christopher Paolini as a major offender in this regard.
I felt that I was regressing a bit in my reading level while churning through Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Also, these series tend to grind on one with the mysteries and subplots that grow and continue from one volume to the next until, with the final book, a lot of the text becomes bogged down with reconciling and explaining them.
Still, as fun, escapist reading, I liked this series. For kids, it is also a good, subtle introduction to Greek mythology as well as United States geography. A great portion of The Last Olympian, the final volume in this series, takes place in Manhattan, which I visited last April. It was interesting how Riordan wove various locations there into the story. I understand that Rick Riordan is in the middle of writing and releasing volumes of the sequel to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. But at least for now, I think I'll just try something else, thank you. Still, Jackson is pleasant, light reading.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Life's a Bitch...Get Over It!
Once, many eons ago, I was sitting by myself in the Waffle House that once existed on South U.S. 441 in Gainesville late at night, doing something esoteric like deciphering a Vietnamese translation of Jack London's short stories or codifying physics formulae into matrices while eating one of their classic breakfasts with raisin toast and cheesy scrambled eggs. A party was seated in the booth in front of me, and everybody seemed to have something to say to each other about what was going on in their lives. All of it was negative, one complaining rant after another about their problems with people in their families, people at work, people, people, people. I could tell that the group as a whole seemed to be getting off on each other's woes, almost as if they were passing around a joint. But there was one middle-aged, haggard-looking woman there whose only contribution to the conversation was the periodic interjection, "Life's a bitch." It could well be that this woman was drunk (they all seemed to have been drinking) and she was trying to fit into the spirit of the proceedings without being able to come up with any beefs of her own. But the more I thought about it, the more I came to a different conclusion. Maybe she was trying to tell others, in her own limited way, that all of their travails were normal elements of a typical life and that, sure, problems make you feel bad, but EVERYBODY'S got problems. So stop whining like a bunch of crybabies. Yeah sure, life's a bitch... get over it and move on!
Then again, most likely she was just stone drunk!
Then again, most likely she was just stone drunk!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Long Walk: My Version
Early in his professional writing career, Stephen King wrote several stories under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Among these was an intriguing tale titled The Long Walk. In it, a future or alternative America staged a walking race like no other: the contestants had to walk at a pace of at least 4 mph or they would be eliminated. Literally eliminated, i.e. shot dead on the spot. The race was over when all contestants had been "eliminated" but one, leaving the winner (and only survivor). I'll leave it to you to read it for yourself if you want. King has written better stories, but it did leave an impression on me nevertheless regarding race walking and walking in general.
When Melissa and I walk around our block, we usually do so at a 3-3.2 mph pace. On the treadmill, I usually cool down from a run at 3.4 mph. But Stephen King's 4 mph is a pretty high level for me. And that got me to thinking...
While I am recovering from my leg injury and waiting to run again, why not just see how fast I can walk and for how long? And why not start with 4 mph as a minimum speed, conveniently using my YMCA's treadmill? Yes, I can still use the elliptical cross-trainer and the weights in my workout while enhancing it with a brisk walking session. I think I'll try this out tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I am also aware of how painfully funny race walkers look, with their exaggerated hip motions. This may be one big reason why more people pursue competitive running instead, in spite of the increased injury hazards associated with that activity. Also, I think it would be hard to police a public walking race as there would need to be race officials practically everywhere to scrutinize the contestants to insure that no one cheated by running here and there. But I'm not all that interested in competitive racing against others, anyway. Just knowing how I am doing with my speed and endurance is good enough for me. But I do like the idea of a public event dedicated to this activity in which, like with running, I could participate from time to time in a more social context.
A lot of the 5K public running races that are routinely offered combine the running with an invitation for walkers to participate as well. Usually though, this is just for the folks heavily into the charities that are running the events; these people tend to take their sweet time getting through the course and aren't all that interested in walking per se. I'd like a setting that attracted fitness walkers who wanted to test each other out in competition, but I don't see that anywhere. Not in Gainesville, at least. But that would be my idea of a fine "long walk".
When Melissa and I walk around our block, we usually do so at a 3-3.2 mph pace. On the treadmill, I usually cool down from a run at 3.4 mph. But Stephen King's 4 mph is a pretty high level for me. And that got me to thinking...
While I am recovering from my leg injury and waiting to run again, why not just see how fast I can walk and for how long? And why not start with 4 mph as a minimum speed, conveniently using my YMCA's treadmill? Yes, I can still use the elliptical cross-trainer and the weights in my workout while enhancing it with a brisk walking session. I think I'll try this out tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I am also aware of how painfully funny race walkers look, with their exaggerated hip motions. This may be one big reason why more people pursue competitive running instead, in spite of the increased injury hazards associated with that activity. Also, I think it would be hard to police a public walking race as there would need to be race officials practically everywhere to scrutinize the contestants to insure that no one cheated by running here and there. But I'm not all that interested in competitive racing against others, anyway. Just knowing how I am doing with my speed and endurance is good enough for me. But I do like the idea of a public event dedicated to this activity in which, like with running, I could participate from time to time in a more social context.
A lot of the 5K public running races that are routinely offered combine the running with an invitation for walkers to participate as well. Usually though, this is just for the folks heavily into the charities that are running the events; these people tend to take their sweet time getting through the course and aren't all that interested in walking per se. I'd like a setting that attracted fitness walkers who wanted to test each other out in competition, but I don't see that anywhere. Not in Gainesville, at least. But that would be my idea of a fine "long walk".
Friday, March 25, 2011
Swimming Progress Encouraging
Yesterday at the YMCA pool, I finally made a strong effort to swim a few of the 25-meter lanes there. It was a timely decision as the rest of the pool was taken up by bouncers and scooby-doos (my terms for water aerobics exercisers and scuba-diving students, respectively). I hit upon an effective strategy to my lane swimming: I would swim freestyle in one direction and then paddle on my back in an improvised, easier-for-me backstroke in the other. Thus I was able to keep myself rested for more laps. I ended up swimming 12 laps in all, a personal record by far for lane swimming.
By doing lane swimming, I was also able to focus more on the one major impediment to my ability to swim longer distances nonstop: incorrect breathing form. But I checked out some tips on the Internet, especially swimming instructor Terry Laughlin's suggestions to help with breathing. And I intend to try them out the next time I go swimming.
I also think it's about time for me to get serious with learning the breaststroke and integrating it within my swimming practice sessions. I've seen other swimmers in the lanes who changed styles as they swam laps, and I have always wanted to be able to do that. Besides, the breaststroke looks like a simpler stroke than freestyle as far as breathing is concerned. I have seen swimmers doing the breaststroke with their heads always above the surface, but I want to follow McLaughlin's precepts and keep below surface for much of the stroke. Well, I should have plenty of time to practice, with the warm weather ahead of me here in Florida!
By doing lane swimming, I was also able to focus more on the one major impediment to my ability to swim longer distances nonstop: incorrect breathing form. But I checked out some tips on the Internet, especially swimming instructor Terry Laughlin's suggestions to help with breathing. And I intend to try them out the next time I go swimming.
I also think it's about time for me to get serious with learning the breaststroke and integrating it within my swimming practice sessions. I've seen other swimmers in the lanes who changed styles as they swam laps, and I have always wanted to be able to do that. Besides, the breaststroke looks like a simpler stroke than freestyle as far as breathing is concerned. I have seen swimmers doing the breaststroke with their heads always above the surface, but I want to follow McLaughlin's precepts and keep below surface for much of the stroke. Well, I should have plenty of time to practice, with the warm weather ahead of me here in Florida!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Running Recovery Hits Minor Snag
My running progress hit a bump in the road Tuesday when I set out to run around my neighborhood, with 6+ miles as my distance goal. This kept with my stated aim of gradually increasing my distance while taking notice of how my right leg felt around the knee (I am recovering from an IT band injury). On Saturday I had pulled off a similar 5-mile run without any pain or warning signs, so I was cautiously optimistic. Tuesday's run was unpleasant to begin with: it was warm and very, very humid. But I've run through those conditions without trouble before; the problem was that I begin to notice my right knee area between 4 and 5 miles. I walked much of the remaining distance, which I curtailed at 5.69 miles to prevent any aggravation to that area in my right leg.
So apparently I wasn't spacing my runs out enough over the week and will have to give myself some more time before I set out again. I think that when I resume running, I will stick to one run per week for a couple of months. Also, I'd like to confine my running to the treadmill since that seems to involve less shock to my knees.
This IT band problem has been really unsettling to me, but I have been able to partially compensate for my sidelining from running by doing other things. Like swimming, for example, which I will write about in tomorrow's post.
So apparently I wasn't spacing my runs out enough over the week and will have to give myself some more time before I set out again. I think that when I resume running, I will stick to one run per week for a couple of months. Also, I'd like to confine my running to the treadmill since that seems to involve less shock to my knees.
This IT band problem has been really unsettling to me, but I have been able to partially compensate for my sidelining from running by doing other things. Like swimming, for example, which I will write about in tomorrow's post.
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