The other night I was watching the Sprout Channel, which is actually targeted at little children. One of their staple late-night cartoons shows, Caillou, was on and I was too dang tired to change the channel (which is what I usually do when this show is on). Caillou, by the way, is the name of the little bald-headed boy in the cartoon. He lives in a nice suburban home with his nice suburban family of mother, father, little sister, and conveniently-appearing extended family and friends. Caillou tends to be very enthusiastic about life and learning new things, and his attitude is infectious in a good way. In other words, we're talking about the diametric opposite kind of role behavior than what you'd see on cynical, satirical South Park. Let me give you an example from the episode I just saw...
It's early in the day and Caillou has just come back from the library where he checked out a book he wants to read. The parents at home each tell him and his little sister that they are going to be too busy with other matters to attend to them, but they managed to conveniently coax dependable, useful ol' grandma over to the house to babysit them. That suits upbeat Caillou just fine, who promptly announces to everyone that he is going to make a priority of reading his book. Grandma can concentrate on playing with little sis while he reads. And thus the scene is set for this episode.
It becomes progressively clear over the course of the show that poor Caillou cannot find a quiet, undisturbed place in his house to read his book. If he stays in his bedroom, the pet cat bothers him. The playroom is a no-go as well, as his rambunctious, loud little sister is playing with grandma there. What bothers me is when he goes into the living room and sits on the sofa to read. His mother then walks right into the room and turns on the noisy vacuum cleaner, in essence asserting her presence and territorial authority over her young son. Apparently, vacuuming the floor is part of her important "busy" work that is keeping her from spending time with her little children today, don't you see. Caillou, unlike I'm sure any of the South Park boys (except possibly Butters), is O.K. with mom's brazen rudeness and happily looks elsewhere for quietness. Finally, he discovers the only place where he can read in peace: his own bedroom closet. He reads his book, about travel on the high seas, and imagines himself to be on a voyage of his own. Then his family members, collectively looking for him after discovering that they are no longer able to ruin his reading experience, finally find him in his one successful place of literary refuge. But it is too late: Caillou has finished the book!
Caillou is obviously, at least in this episode, a kid with no chips on his shoulders. But I'd still keep an eye on him (were he actually a real person, that is): with the passage of years and hindsight, benign memories, especially those of interactions with close family members, can easily "go south" and be reinterpreted in a much more critical and even unforgiving light. Sure, the intended message is to demonstrate the "proper" way for children to present themselves in the face of adversity on the part of others. But an unintended lesson may also be that one can usually expect arbitrary, selfish and rude behavior on the part of those in authority...
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
List Madness: My Top 50 Beck Songs
For most of 2012 so far, I have been listening during my training runs on my MP3 player (in shuffle mode) to just one musical artist: Beck (aka Beck Hansen), an old favorite of mine. Lately, I have been listening to more of his material and now regard him as my top favorite musical act. This is in spite of the fact that he hasn't released any new albums in the last five years. Still, I have heard about 130 tracks spanning fourteen years and nine albums. The only album of his under general release that I haven't yet heard anything from is Stereopathetic Soulmanure, from 1993.
Beck, many songs of whom are typified by insanely-catchy strings of unrelated words in their lyrics, is most famous for his breakout single Loser, as well as the follow-up album Odelay, which spawned several hit singles. But this was all in the mid-1990's. Although his four album releases over the past decade (condensed into a busy five-year period from 2002 to 2007) haven't generated hits on broadcast radio, that is no indictment against Beck, in my opinion: radio nowadays ignores too many quality acts, instead playing a lot of, well, let's just call it the crap that it is!
As is my custom on this blog, here is my list of personal favorite Beck songs. The album for each entry is indicated by the following abbreviations: One Foot in the Grave [OF], Mellow Gold [Mel], Odelay [O], Mutations [Mut], Midnite Vultures [MV], Sea Change [SC], Guero [G], The Information [I], and Modern Guilt [Mod]. Also listed are two singles and a beautiful cover Beck did of an old Korgis song. Well, here goes...
1--Timebomb [single]
2--Novacane [O]
3--Lost Cause [SC]
4--Pay No Mind [Mel]
5--Deadweight [single]
6--Cellphone's Dead [I]
7--Earthquake Weather [G]
8--Jack-Ass [O]
9--Mixed Bizness [MV]
10--Beercan [Mel]
11--Think I'm in Love [I]
12--Youthless [Mod]
13--Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime [cover]
14--Rental Car [G]
15--Motorcade [I]
16--Loser [Mel]
17--Whiskey Can Can [OF]
18--Get Real Paid [MV]
19--Gamma Ray [Mod]
20--Blackhole [Mel]
21--Teenage Wastebasket [OF]
22--Dead Melodies [Mut]
23--Missing [G]
24--Sexx Laws [MV]
25--Broken Train [MV]
26--Devils Haircut [O]
27--Ramshackle [O]
28--It's All in Your Mind [SC]
29--Lazy Flies [Mut]
30--Minus [O]
31--Woe on Me [OF]
32--Pressure Zone [MV]
33--The New Pollution [O]
34--Sissyneck [O]
35--Hollow Log [OF]
36--Profanity Prayers [Mod]
37--Soldier Jane [I]
38--Scarecrow [G]
39--Girl [G]
40--Movie Theme [I]
41--Nitemare Hippy Girl [Mel]
42--E-Pro [G]
43--Truckdrivin' Neighbors Downstairs [Mel]
44--Broken Drum [G]
45--Sunday Sun [SC]
46--Readymade [O]
47--F#%$ing With My Head [Mel]
48--Mattress [OF]
49--Nausea [I]
50--Where It's At [O]
Note: All of the above are songs that I like A LOT, even the old radio staple Where It's At at #50. Actually, there are only a handful of Beck tunes that I truly dislike. And just one that I abhor: Debra, from Midnite Vultures.
Beck, many songs of whom are typified by insanely-catchy strings of unrelated words in their lyrics, is most famous for his breakout single Loser, as well as the follow-up album Odelay, which spawned several hit singles. But this was all in the mid-1990's. Although his four album releases over the past decade (condensed into a busy five-year period from 2002 to 2007) haven't generated hits on broadcast radio, that is no indictment against Beck, in my opinion: radio nowadays ignores too many quality acts, instead playing a lot of, well, let's just call it the crap that it is!
As is my custom on this blog, here is my list of personal favorite Beck songs. The album for each entry is indicated by the following abbreviations: One Foot in the Grave [OF], Mellow Gold [Mel], Odelay [O], Mutations [Mut], Midnite Vultures [MV], Sea Change [SC], Guero [G], The Information [I], and Modern Guilt [Mod]. Also listed are two singles and a beautiful cover Beck did of an old Korgis song. Well, here goes...
1--Timebomb [single]
2--Novacane [O]
3--Lost Cause [SC]
4--Pay No Mind [Mel]
5--Deadweight [single]
6--Cellphone's Dead [I]
7--Earthquake Weather [G]
8--Jack-Ass [O]
9--Mixed Bizness [MV]
10--Beercan [Mel]
11--Think I'm in Love [I]
12--Youthless [Mod]
13--Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime [cover]
14--Rental Car [G]
15--Motorcade [I]
16--Loser [Mel]
17--Whiskey Can Can [OF]
18--Get Real Paid [MV]
19--Gamma Ray [Mod]
20--Blackhole [Mel]
21--Teenage Wastebasket [OF]
22--Dead Melodies [Mut]
23--Missing [G]
24--Sexx Laws [MV]
25--Broken Train [MV]
26--Devils Haircut [O]
27--Ramshackle [O]
28--It's All in Your Mind [SC]
29--Lazy Flies [Mut]
30--Minus [O]
31--Woe on Me [OF]
32--Pressure Zone [MV]
33--The New Pollution [O]
34--Sissyneck [O]
35--Hollow Log [OF]
36--Profanity Prayers [Mod]
37--Soldier Jane [I]
38--Scarecrow [G]
39--Girl [G]
40--Movie Theme [I]
41--Nitemare Hippy Girl [Mel]
42--E-Pro [G]
43--Truckdrivin' Neighbors Downstairs [Mel]
44--Broken Drum [G]
45--Sunday Sun [SC]
46--Readymade [O]
47--F#%$ing With My Head [Mel]
48--Mattress [OF]
49--Nausea [I]
50--Where It's At [O]
Note: All of the above are songs that I like A LOT, even the old radio staple Where It's At at #50. Actually, there are only a handful of Beck tunes that I truly dislike. And just one that I abhor: Debra, from Midnite Vultures.
Friday, June 8, 2012
LeBron James Takes Over a Game
I think that Miami Heat star LeBron James has come a long way in the past few years. I remember back while he was in Cleveland and trying to take that team to an NBA championship, unsuccessfully. Sometimes it seemed that he would just give up during a game. Then there was that time when Orlando beat Cleveland in a playoff series and James refused to congratulate the winners, instead storming off the court like a sulking baby. Yes, he has come a long way since then. And I have come to like him, both as a player and a person.
Miami signed LeBron James because they wanted a superstar franchise player who could take over a game and lead them to another league title. James saw the talent there and left his old Cleveland team; bad for them but good for Miami. Still, he would prefer to play team basketball, sharing the ball-handling and scoring with his teammates instead of dominating everything. But the fans are clamoring for just the opposite: they want to see LeBron James take over games and decimate the opposition. Well, yesterday against the Boston Celtics they got what they wanted as he strongly led the Heat to a seventh, deciding game with a 45-point performance. But the naysayers, instead of praising him for this, instead spin everything negative by implying that he didn't trust his own teammates anymore and had to do everything by himself.
Damned if he passes off the ball and damned if he keeps it and scores... I guess some folks just get a kick out of damning LeBron James.
Miami signed LeBron James because they wanted a superstar franchise player who could take over a game and lead them to another league title. James saw the talent there and left his old Cleveland team; bad for them but good for Miami. Still, he would prefer to play team basketball, sharing the ball-handling and scoring with his teammates instead of dominating everything. But the fans are clamoring for just the opposite: they want to see LeBron James take over games and decimate the opposition. Well, yesterday against the Boston Celtics they got what they wanted as he strongly led the Heat to a seventh, deciding game with a 45-point performance. But the naysayers, instead of praising him for this, instead spin everything negative by implying that he didn't trust his own teammates anymore and had to do everything by himself.
Damned if he passes off the ball and damned if he keeps it and scores... I guess some folks just get a kick out of damning LeBron James.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Ray Bradbury Passes On
Yesterday Ray Bradbury, one of my all-time favorite writers, died at age 91 after an undisclosed lengthy illness. Not only did I read many of his hundreds of short stories (possessing three collection volumes), but also I enjoyed his novels such as Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Dandelion Wine. The latter had a great influence on me and put a fitting perspective on childhood and the passage of time (and the passing of people). There was the sad chapter on the passing of the protagonist's grandmother, a gentle spirit who had an uncanny, mystical ability to cook the most tasty, elaborate feasts without ever measuring anything out or referring to any recipe. She would go entirely by her own instincts. I feel that this was the very same way that Bradbury wrote, and it showed in his magical, beautiful prose.
There will never be another Ray Bradbury, although there are many who have been deeply influenced by him. Among them is Stephen King, another favorite of mine, and who quickly commented following Bradbury's passing how important and influential he had been to him. Now excuse me while I go excavate one of my Ray Bradbury short story collections...
There will never be another Ray Bradbury, although there are many who have been deeply influenced by him. Among them is Stephen King, another favorite of mine, and who quickly commented following Bradbury's passing how important and influential he had been to him. Now excuse me while I go excavate one of my Ray Bradbury short story collections...
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Colds and Hand-Shaking
I have been pretty good for the past few years about avoiding catching colds. Until recently, that is. At the end of March, a cold-on-steroids invaded my body, giving me a lot of grief for a few days. And now I have a more benign but still very annoying cold that someone transmitted to me a few days ago.
I am finding myself becoming more like the television character Monk, an obsessive-compulsive detective who tries as hard as possible to avoid shaking people's hands. Personally, I find this cultural tradition to be loathsome and unsanitary. At church, the congregation at the service's start are asked (I mean told) to stand up and greet each other, and then here come the dreaded, germ/disease-coated hands extended out to me. I much prefer the Indian greeting of clasping one's hands together. Sometimes, just to avoid a hand-shaking "incident", I'll just give out a perfunctory wave of my hand, accompanied by a winsome smile and soothing words of friendliness. Before I see that dangblasted hand reaching out at me, in germ-attack mode!
I don't know for sure how I caught my current edition of the cold, but hand-shaking is my prime suspect. And I wonder to myself whether the reason so many people show up late at church isn't because they, like me (and Monk) want to discretely avoid hand contact during that ritual...
I am finding myself becoming more like the television character Monk, an obsessive-compulsive detective who tries as hard as possible to avoid shaking people's hands. Personally, I find this cultural tradition to be loathsome and unsanitary. At church, the congregation at the service's start are asked (I mean told) to stand up and greet each other, and then here come the dreaded, germ/disease-coated hands extended out to me. I much prefer the Indian greeting of clasping one's hands together. Sometimes, just to avoid a hand-shaking "incident", I'll just give out a perfunctory wave of my hand, accompanied by a winsome smile and soothing words of friendliness. Before I see that dangblasted hand reaching out at me, in germ-attack mode!
I don't know for sure how I caught my current edition of the cold, but hand-shaking is my prime suspect. And I wonder to myself whether the reason so many people show up late at church isn't because they, like me (and Monk) want to discretely avoid hand contact during that ritual...
Monday, June 4, 2012
Take a Break, Do Nothing
This evening after a pleasant dinner on my day off from
work, I decided to simply go out and sit on the front porch for a while, just
relaxing and being quiet. No agenda, no
goals. It’s a pleasure in life that I
have enjoyed since back in the mid 1960’s as a kid just sitting on the back
porch. Truth be told, though, I have
gone through periods when I was so caught up in the routines of my life that I
wouldn’t make time for this important non-activity.
Learn to be still…that’s an old Eagles song, didn’t Don
Henley write it? It seems to run counter
to the narrative that dominates our culture, though. We’re supposed to always be busy, aren’t we,
justifying our existence by the important, “relevant” things we do? But I like to take a page from the Hebrew
Scriptures, from the book of Ecclesiastes: it is all a chasing after the wind…
I like breaks, and not just so that I can fill the acquired
free time with purposeful activities.
There is something to be said for just quietly sitting there and
emptying yourself of all your concerns, at least for a little while…
Sunday, June 3, 2012
NBA Players Raging Crybabies with Foul Calls
I understand how fast-paced the action is in National Basketball Association games, so it is understandable that many of the fouls called in them are very close and often worthy of dispute. Still, it gets pretty tedious watching one player after another vehemently shaking his head in denial after being called for a foul. On some occasions, they go after the referee and whine like little babies. On the other hand, I could change my own negative attitude concerning their behavior and actually make a game of my own from this epidemic of poor sportsmanship on the court.
If a player called for a foul just shakes his head in denial (or the head coach on his behalf), that's one dubious point he has just scored for his team (to be the worst sports). The same goes for any contorted, pained facial expressions. If he starts to run his mouth off about it, that's two. And if his actions reap a technical foul, well...he has just scored a three-pointer in my contest to determine which team is composed of the worst crybabies masquerading as adult multimillionaire professional sportsmen...
If a player called for a foul just shakes his head in denial (or the head coach on his behalf), that's one dubious point he has just scored for his team (to be the worst sports). The same goes for any contorted, pained facial expressions. If he starts to run his mouth off about it, that's two. And if his actions reap a technical foul, well...he has just scored a three-pointer in my contest to determine which team is composed of the worst crybabies masquerading as adult multimillionaire professional sportsmen...
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Amusing NBA Playoff Prediction by Sports Radio Jock
I was listening to one of the sports talk radio stations the other day, and the announcer on duty was talking about the two NBA playoff series that had just begun. At the time, Miami was leading Boston in their series 1-0 and San Antonio had a 2-0 advantage over Oklahoma City in theirs. Each series will last until one team or another wins four games. Yet this announcer, who apparently draws a paycheck for running his mouth at this cushy radio job, flat-out decided that both series are ALREADY OVER. With home court advantage being important in basketball, it was to be expected that both Miami and San Antonio would win their home games. Yet this dude gave the series to Miami after only one game being played at the time...
Tonight we have progressed a little further with each series. And surprise, surprise, after each favorite winning their home contests, both of them lost on their opponents' court. So Miami and San Antonio each have a 2-1 lead in their respective series, with San Antonio playing again at Oklahoma City tonight. Don't be surprised if that series is knotted up at two wins apiece after that game is over. But, no... it doesn't matter what happens: San Antonio and Miami have ALREADY won their series. Sure thing, pal...
Tonight we have progressed a little further with each series. And surprise, surprise, after each favorite winning their home contests, both of them lost on their opponents' court. So Miami and San Antonio each have a 2-1 lead in their respective series, with San Antonio playing again at Oklahoma City tonight. Don't be surprised if that series is knotted up at two wins apiece after that game is over. But, no... it doesn't matter what happens: San Antonio and Miami have ALREADY won their series. Sure thing, pal...
Friday, June 1, 2012
Venus Scoots Across the Sun June 5
Next Tuesday, June 5, will be a special event for die-hard
amateur (and probably professional) astronomers: the planet Venus will make what
is going to be its last transit over the Sun this century. What that translates into is that, with the
proper (and expensive) telescope, filter, and assorted other equipment, one
should be able to make out the small circle of Venus as it crosses directly
between the Sun and Earth.
I picked up news about this upcoming event from an
advertisement (for telescopes, surprise) by Meade Instruments on the back of an
astronomy magazine (most likely Astronomy itself). Now I suppose that, were I already a dyed-in-the-wool,
no-holds-barred, and any-other-suitable-metaphor of an amateur astronomer
instead of the rank, barely part-time naked-eye star-planet-moon-clouds-planes-birds gazer
that I am, I might want to invest a little time and money in pursuing this
event. But that’s O.K., because…
I will simply wait until the Venus/Sun transit is over with
and the best photos are released to the public.
And I don’t mind waiting a little for that, either. After all, I already knew that our “sister”
planet was making the transition from Evening Star to Morning Star, but I didn’t
know about the transit (or how rare it was) until just a couple of days
ago. I wonder, though, what the
professionals in the field may be thinking and whether they will be able to
derive some new knowledge and understanding based on the transit event, which
according to the Meade ad will last only about six hours.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
My May 2012 Running
Here are the results from this past month of May, 2012 regarding my running:
Total Miles: 116.36
Longest Run: 6.3 Miles
Days Run: All 31 Days
So I easily surpassed my goal of 100 monthly miles, accomplishing it by running daily and usually in the range of 3-5 miles per run. I either ran around my home neighborhood or on the treadmill at my nearby YMCA. I am pretty satisfied with how I did: I can't remember since I began running long distance when I ever ran on every single day in any given month. And that's going back all the way to 1972!
I plan to continue my running this way, not running extravagantly long distances but instead keeping it in a consistent range while trying to keep up a routine on a daily basis. So far, so good: I can't argue against success!
Total Miles: 116.36
Longest Run: 6.3 Miles
Days Run: All 31 Days
So I easily surpassed my goal of 100 monthly miles, accomplishing it by running daily and usually in the range of 3-5 miles per run. I either ran around my home neighborhood or on the treadmill at my nearby YMCA. I am pretty satisfied with how I did: I can't remember since I began running long distance when I ever ran on every single day in any given month. And that's going back all the way to 1972!
I plan to continue my running this way, not running extravagantly long distances but instead keeping it in a consistent range while trying to keep up a routine on a daily basis. So far, so good: I can't argue against success!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Fan Clothing Uniformity in NBA Playoffs: Creepy
Bill Maher recently voiced his personal objections to the trend in public sports games, in this case the NBA playoffs, of the fans all wearing the same colors, presumably those of the home team. So it was the other day in Miami (and tonight as well), with the stands full of Heat "white". In Oklahoma City, their fans wear blue, which in the opening home playoff game against Dallas was too funny for me: the visiting Dallas players also wore blue, perfectly matching their opponent's fans, while the Oklahoma City players themselves wore white. The screw-up appeared to be corrected for the next game, though, with the stands all white-garbed.
Yes, Bill Maher, this all creeps me out, too. I can't help but recall those old Nazi propaganda movies with the rallies and everyone dressed exactly the same way. I would feel a lot more comfortable with at least a little bit of nonconformity in the clothing department sprinkled throughout the stands. Sure, fans will tend to wear their team's colors, but they are taking the loyalty/uniformity thing way too far. Now if someone were to pay MY admission price to the game, I might be willing to play along with the dress code as well. But the fans are pretty much themselves shelling out the big bucks to attend these games and should have more self-respect than they are demonstrating by their sheep-like demeanor...
Yes, Bill Maher, this all creeps me out, too. I can't help but recall those old Nazi propaganda movies with the rallies and everyone dressed exactly the same way. I would feel a lot more comfortable with at least a little bit of nonconformity in the clothing department sprinkled throughout the stands. Sure, fans will tend to wear their team's colors, but they are taking the loyalty/uniformity thing way too far. Now if someone were to pay MY admission price to the game, I might be willing to play along with the dress code as well. But the fans are pretty much themselves shelling out the big bucks to attend these games and should have more self-respect than they are demonstrating by their sheep-like demeanor...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
John F. Kennedy's Birthday Today
Today, our 35th President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, would be celebrating his 95th birthday were he still alive. After all, he was born on May 29, 1917. So what's wrong about what I just said? I mean, JFK WOULD be turning 95 today, right?
If Kennedy were turning 95 today, then it would be his 96th birthday as his first birthday occurred on the day of his birth, when he was zero-years-old. His second birthday would be when he turned one, and so on. But nevertheless I hear this error regarding celebrities' birthdays all the time on TV, don't you?
John F. Kennedy was the first president I actually remember being president, although I was born during the Eisenhower administration. His tragically-shortened tenure in the office was tumultuous, to say the least, with external Cold War tensions and internal Civil Rights conflicts testing his performance and judgement almost on a daily basis. I thought he handled it all beyond what anyone could reasonably expect, and that he was a great president. I don't know or pretend to know what would have happened in our history had he escaped his assassin's bullets on that sad day of November 22, 1963. Would we have stayed out of Vietnam? Would the Civil Rights movement have been slowed down? We really don't know. But I still think we would have been a stronger people and more cohesive as a nation had he survived...
I wrote this article to try to change the emphasis from JFK's 11/22/63 deathdate to his 5/29/17 birthdate. It shouldn't be that hard for people to remember, as it is always very close to Memorial Day (which was yesterday). Hey, I have an idea: while honoring our fallen soldiers, why not also pause a few moments and honor our fallen president, John F. Kennedy, on his birthday?
If Kennedy were turning 95 today, then it would be his 96th birthday as his first birthday occurred on the day of his birth, when he was zero-years-old. His second birthday would be when he turned one, and so on. But nevertheless I hear this error regarding celebrities' birthdays all the time on TV, don't you?
John F. Kennedy was the first president I actually remember being president, although I was born during the Eisenhower administration. His tragically-shortened tenure in the office was tumultuous, to say the least, with external Cold War tensions and internal Civil Rights conflicts testing his performance and judgement almost on a daily basis. I thought he handled it all beyond what anyone could reasonably expect, and that he was a great president. I don't know or pretend to know what would have happened in our history had he escaped his assassin's bullets on that sad day of November 22, 1963. Would we have stayed out of Vietnam? Would the Civil Rights movement have been slowed down? We really don't know. But I still think we would have been a stronger people and more cohesive as a nation had he survived...
I wrote this article to try to change the emphasis from JFK's 11/22/63 deathdate to his 5/29/17 birthdate. It shouldn't be that hard for people to remember, as it is always very close to Memorial Day (which was yesterday). Hey, I have an idea: while honoring our fallen soldiers, why not also pause a few moments and honor our fallen president, John F. Kennedy, on his birthday?
Monday, May 28, 2012
Race I Wasn't Going to Run Anyway Cancelled
Two of my previous articles were about (1) my decision to avoid a Memorial Day running race in Green Cove Springs (with a $40 entry fee) and (2) the impending arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl in my area. Well, because of Beryl, that race was cancelled, and boy am I glad I didn't enter it: the fees were non-refundable. But...
According to the event's website, those who had entered would be given a $10 discount for the 2013 race. And not only would the racing packets, which included a 2012 technical running shirt, be given to all entrants in this year's race, but they would also be provided with finishing medals. Finishing medals...for a race that never took place?
When I pay my entry fee for a race, I'm sure part of the money goes into the organizers' expense account for providing the medals given to those who finish the run. But I still have to actually finish the doggone race to win one! I mean, what sense would it make for me to have in my running "trophy case" a finishing medal for a race that never actually happened?!
According to the event's website, those who had entered would be given a $10 discount for the 2013 race. And not only would the racing packets, which included a 2012 technical running shirt, be given to all entrants in this year's race, but they would also be provided with finishing medals. Finishing medals...for a race that never took place?
When I pay my entry fee for a race, I'm sure part of the money goes into the organizers' expense account for providing the medals given to those who finish the run. But I still have to actually finish the doggone race to win one! I mean, what sense would it make for me to have in my running "trophy case" a finishing medal for a race that never actually happened?!
Memorial Day Salute and Disturbing Question
Today is Memorial Day and I salute those who gave their lives in service to this nation. I'm sure our national leaders from both major political parties have been very busy today attending public events where they publicly echo my sentiment, albeit in I'm sure a much more verbose manner. And that's got me to wondering...
We as a nation have just committed our fine young soldiers to two more years of being in Afghanistan, standing around being targets of a strong enemy force with some of them inevitably doomed to a tragic death, new additions to our already too-long list of those fallen in military action. And for what? After two years we leave and that country will in all probability either be once again overrun by the Taliban or the present regime will reach an accommodation with them that virtually guarantees them control over much of the country. So why are these very politicians, especially (sad to say) my president Barack Obama, going to allow our young people to undergo this danger and tragedy? How can one honor the dead when they won't honor the living? I just don't get it...
We as a nation have just committed our fine young soldiers to two more years of being in Afghanistan, standing around being targets of a strong enemy force with some of them inevitably doomed to a tragic death, new additions to our already too-long list of those fallen in military action. And for what? After two years we leave and that country will in all probability either be once again overrun by the Taliban or the present regime will reach an accommodation with them that virtually guarantees them control over much of the country. So why are these very politicians, especially (sad to say) my president Barack Obama, going to allow our young people to undergo this danger and tragedy? How can one honor the dead when they won't honor the living? I just don't get it...
Sunday, May 27, 2012
2012 NBA Conference Finals Begin Tonight
Today marks the opening game of the National Basketball
Association’s third round in the 2012 playoffs, also known as the conference
championship round. In the East, Miami
starts its series tomorrow evening against Boston, winner of an exciting
seven-game series against upstart Philadelphia.
Tonight, my favorite in the playoffs, San Antonio, with its amazing
point guard Tony Parker, will open at home against Oklahoma City.
I was pleasantly surprised in the second round: all four
series went the way I wanted. So here’s
how I rank the survivors according to MY liking (not necessarily the favorites
to win):
1--San Antonio Spurs
2--Boston Celtics
3--Miami Heat
4--Oklahoma
City Thunder
Hopefully, then, the NBA finals will pit San Antonio against
Boston, if things go as I wish. Should
be interesting…
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Upcoming Hurricane Season Forecast Uncertain
In yesterday's paper, an Associated Press article appeared reporting on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's prediction about the upcoming hurricane season, "officially" starting on June 1. According to NOAA, there will be nine to fifteen named tropical storms in the Atlantic area, with from four to eight reaching hurricane status. The forecast is for an "average" season, based largely on a very uncertain prediction that the Pacific warming of waters known as El Niño, a known Atlantic storm inhibitor, will develop about two-three months from now.
Well, it's for certain that El Niño isn't there now: hurricane season hasn't even officially started and already in May we have two named tropical storms, quite a rarity. But even if El Niño does come into play later, there is still the danger of a full-blown hurricane striking your area if you live anywhere near the coastline, from Nicaragua in the south all the way north into the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Of course, the greatest concerns I have rest in Florida, which stands out on the map as a big target for these storms to hone in on. But there's no point in worrying about it: if one comes my way, I'll deal with it then. Maybe that sounds like a formula for disaster, but there's really not that much I would have to do to prepare for a coming storm anyway.
In the meantime, I am hoping that rain emanating from tropical storm Beryl will land on our area in the next couple of days and help to put out some fires in the Waldo area (about fifteen miles from me) that have sprung up lately and which are suspected of being the work of arsonist(s).
As R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe sang on the same-titled song on their Reveal album, "I'll take the rain." And I'll add to that, "and you can keep the wind!"
Well, it's for certain that El Niño isn't there now: hurricane season hasn't even officially started and already in May we have two named tropical storms, quite a rarity. But even if El Niño does come into play later, there is still the danger of a full-blown hurricane striking your area if you live anywhere near the coastline, from Nicaragua in the south all the way north into the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Of course, the greatest concerns I have rest in Florida, which stands out on the map as a big target for these storms to hone in on. But there's no point in worrying about it: if one comes my way, I'll deal with it then. Maybe that sounds like a formula for disaster, but there's really not that much I would have to do to prepare for a coming storm anyway.
In the meantime, I am hoping that rain emanating from tropical storm Beryl will land on our area in the next couple of days and help to put out some fires in the Waldo area (about fifteen miles from me) that have sprung up lately and which are suspected of being the work of arsonist(s).
As R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe sang on the same-titled song on their Reveal album, "I'll take the rain." And I'll add to that, "and you can keep the wind!"
Friday, May 25, 2012
Upcoming Freedom Race Interesting But No-Go
I was looking at a website that showed upcoming running races in my general area. One of them, the Freedom 8K Race (5 miles long), will take place on the morning of Monday, May 28 Memorial Day in Green Cove Springs (a few miles south of Jacksonville along the St. Johns River). It would be a relatively easy drive to and back for me, and although I would have preferred a longer race, 8K is still better than 5K. Only one problem, though: I am getting tired of the high entry fee. This one, if I signed up now, would cost me $40. Sure, proceeds are going to a good cause, don't they all? For this particular event, the cause is to help wounded veterans (and their families), including those with post-traumatic stress disorder. A worthy endeavor, if I may say so. Still, I can think of a lot of other different uses for $40 and still be able to step out of my front door and run for 5 miles without paying a penny, something I have already done 8 times this month alone without even hardly breaking a sweat.
Well, I don't see myself running in this race. I think that I have unconsciously decided that shelling out a tidy sum ($25 and over) to run in a race smaller than a half-marathon just won't work for me. Maybe those 5K races might be better suited for me, as long as they stay within my "price range". Still, even at a fee of $20, it seems like a personal waste of money..
Well, I don't see myself running in this race. I think that I have unconsciously decided that shelling out a tidy sum ($25 and over) to run in a race smaller than a half-marathon just won't work for me. Maybe those 5K races might be better suited for me, as long as they stay within my "price range". Still, even at a fee of $20, it seems like a personal waste of money..
Thursday, May 24, 2012
An Election Year Suggestion from Me
Can I please make a suggestion regarding this year's election? Don't wait until late October to decide who you are going to vote for: decide NOW. You have all of the information you need regarding the candidates for office, at least on the presidential, gubernatorial, senatorial, and congressional levels. Even in those races that haven't yet held primaries for their parties' candidates in the general election, you can decide on your favorites (and "contingency" favorites should your first choice lose in a primary). Why do I make this suggestion?
Each time that something comes out in the media about any candidate, either positively or negatively, the contending parties will go to work fabricating spins that seek to either negate the negative news about their own candidate by showing the opponent in a similarly negative light, or if it is positive news about the opponent, to find a source, ANY source (credible or not), that would cast some doubt on the veracity of the positive news. Frankly, I am weary of this manipulation, regardless of the source or target. And it's just going to get worse..
I am not telling you to vote for Obama, Romney, or another candidate: each of us has our own compelling and legitimate reasons to hold onto our own personal political views and express them on the ballot. Just don't wait until you are completely inundated: the media "junk" which is already churning out and which will only intensify in the coming months won't help you anyway in making a rational decision. You already have all of the information you need. Go ahead now, research the various races that affect you where you happen to live, and write down your choices. And then stick with them in November!
Each time that something comes out in the media about any candidate, either positively or negatively, the contending parties will go to work fabricating spins that seek to either negate the negative news about their own candidate by showing the opponent in a similarly negative light, or if it is positive news about the opponent, to find a source, ANY source (credible or not), that would cast some doubt on the veracity of the positive news. Frankly, I am weary of this manipulation, regardless of the source or target. And it's just going to get worse..
I am not telling you to vote for Obama, Romney, or another candidate: each of us has our own compelling and legitimate reasons to hold onto our own personal political views and express them on the ballot. Just don't wait until you are completely inundated: the media "junk" which is already churning out and which will only intensify in the coming months won't help you anyway in making a rational decision. You already have all of the information you need. Go ahead now, research the various races that affect you where you happen to live, and write down your choices. And then stick with them in November!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Identity and Its Projection Onto the Page
One of the most prolific writers ever, Isaac Asimov, claimed to have written more than 500 books. Although I take some issue with that figure, as some of the books he claimed authorship for were merely collections for which he served as a contributing commentator or editor, there is no mistaking the fact that he had left plenty of material behind after he died in 1992. For those who personally knew him, Isaac Asimov was much more than the paper trail he left behind. But for the rest of us, reading his stories and essays is how we can get to know him, albeit admittedly in a rather imperfect, incomplete way.
That's a positive picture of the duality associated with people's tangible, physical, "real" existence and the projections of themselves that they leave in society's communications networks. People can also leave negative information as well, such as police records, poor academic records, or adverse news stories. Now we can add Facebook to that as well, with all sorts of horror stories abounding about how users posted embarrassing pictures that landed them in trouble with their employers or made comments on their page that continue to hound them. No, Facebook is not paper per se: it's worse, easy to virally transmit anywhere and almost instantaneously.
A few months ago, as a protest to impending legislation that seemed to threatened freedom of expression on the Internet, Wikipedia voluntarily shut itself down for 24 hours. I seriously wonder how the Facebook addicts would react should that site cease its operations for any substantial span of time. Would some of them, who tend to think of it as an extension of their own selves, undergo an identity crisis and freak out? In some ways I envy the kids of today and the remarkable innovations in the area of digitization that have made communications so convenient for them. But suppose I had no Facebook and was a teenager: would some others regard me as an outcast of sorts? I think I already know the answer to that, and it's a shame. Our identities are not what we project onto a page, but who we really are in person. Let's not get the two confused, please...
That's a positive picture of the duality associated with people's tangible, physical, "real" existence and the projections of themselves that they leave in society's communications networks. People can also leave negative information as well, such as police records, poor academic records, or adverse news stories. Now we can add Facebook to that as well, with all sorts of horror stories abounding about how users posted embarrassing pictures that landed them in trouble with their employers or made comments on their page that continue to hound them. No, Facebook is not paper per se: it's worse, easy to virally transmit anywhere and almost instantaneously.
A few months ago, as a protest to impending legislation that seemed to threatened freedom of expression on the Internet, Wikipedia voluntarily shut itself down for 24 hours. I seriously wonder how the Facebook addicts would react should that site cease its operations for any substantial span of time. Would some of them, who tend to think of it as an extension of their own selves, undergo an identity crisis and freak out? In some ways I envy the kids of today and the remarkable innovations in the area of digitization that have made communications so convenient for them. But suppose I had no Facebook and was a teenager: would some others regard me as an outcast of sorts? I think I already know the answer to that, and it's a shame. Our identities are not what we project onto a page, but who we really are in person. Let's not get the two confused, please...
Monday, May 21, 2012
Regina and Hot Summer Running in the City
There is something you might think curious about me, in relation to my running. For some reason, I tend to thrive more in rather hot weather, as long as the humidity is low. In fact, it is humidity that inhibits my ability to run long distances and recover from them. But the summer heat, even into the mid-to-upper nineties, causes little in itself to stymie my efforts. Take today, for example.
The temperature was 88 late in the afternoon, with the humidity at a pretty low 34%. I embarked on my customary 3.25 mile neighborhood course, the running being a little rough at the beginning but "smoothing" out as it progressed. I felt the heat, but it felt good to me. As I continued my run, I felt stronger and unconsciously found myself speeding up. By the end, it felt as if I were practically sprinting with much energy to spare. So what gives?
I grew up in Hollywood, Florida, which is only about 15 miles from Miami. Not only were the summers very hot, but summer usually wrapped itself around about three quarters of the year down there in the semi-tropics. And although the schools I attended had air conditioning, at my house we had none until 1976, just a year before I left home and moved here to Gainesville. So I had, from almost infancy, been conditioned to live in what might be to others to be a very hot, even sweltering environment. I suspect this conditioning never completely went away: for many years after moving to Gainesville I didn't run, but still rode a bicycle much of the time, and often under very stifling-hot conditions. After taking up running in recent years, I pleasantly rediscovered my camel-like ability to endure the heat. And that's a good thing, because here comes the summertime...
Back in 2010, I had my most prolific summer of running ever, amassing some pretty impressive figures over days when the temperature would regularly climb into the 90's. During those runs, my MP3 player was always on a shuffled mix of Regina Spektor songs. What a great voice and creative, talented musical artist. One of her songs, Summer in the City, became required listening for me during each run: if I was approaching the end of a run and hadn't heard it on my shuffle mode, then I would just play it anyway. It perfectly fit the setting I was in.
Regina Spektor is now coming out with a new studio album, titled What We Saw from the Cheap Seats. I can't wait to check out what this favorite musician of mine has been up to lately. As for me, I plan to keep on runnin'...
The temperature was 88 late in the afternoon, with the humidity at a pretty low 34%. I embarked on my customary 3.25 mile neighborhood course, the running being a little rough at the beginning but "smoothing" out as it progressed. I felt the heat, but it felt good to me. As I continued my run, I felt stronger and unconsciously found myself speeding up. By the end, it felt as if I were practically sprinting with much energy to spare. So what gives?
I grew up in Hollywood, Florida, which is only about 15 miles from Miami. Not only were the summers very hot, but summer usually wrapped itself around about three quarters of the year down there in the semi-tropics. And although the schools I attended had air conditioning, at my house we had none until 1976, just a year before I left home and moved here to Gainesville. So I had, from almost infancy, been conditioned to live in what might be to others to be a very hot, even sweltering environment. I suspect this conditioning never completely went away: for many years after moving to Gainesville I didn't run, but still rode a bicycle much of the time, and often under very stifling-hot conditions. After taking up running in recent years, I pleasantly rediscovered my camel-like ability to endure the heat. And that's a good thing, because here comes the summertime...
Back in 2010, I had my most prolific summer of running ever, amassing some pretty impressive figures over days when the temperature would regularly climb into the 90's. During those runs, my MP3 player was always on a shuffled mix of Regina Spektor songs. What a great voice and creative, talented musical artist. One of her songs, Summer in the City, became required listening for me during each run: if I was approaching the end of a run and hadn't heard it on my shuffle mode, then I would just play it anyway. It perfectly fit the setting I was in.
Regina Spektor is now coming out with a new studio album, titled What We Saw from the Cheap Seats. I can't wait to check out what this favorite musician of mine has been up to lately. As for me, I plan to keep on runnin'...
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