Ultra-Running Extremist

Meet Glen R. Turner.

He is more than just a runner, more than an ultra-runner.

He is a Journey Runner and Zzzoomer, averaging 46 miles a day.

He is running all the way across the U.S., then he will be running around the world.

Want to know more? Go to his website and check him out, and support him if you can.

Glen Turner Running & Zzzooming - Running Across America Blog

Thank you Carole, for bringing this to my attention, I will make sure I catch him as he comes through Montgomery. More links and articles about Glen can be found at Carole's blog

Dreaming Of Taos

This is my future

My dreams last night were of this place, Taos, New Mexico.

I shouldn't be publicizing it. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, no matter the season. Brilliant Landscapes, Dazzling Sunsets, Mild Weather, sparsely populated, Amazing Summer Lightning Shows, people who nurture and respect the land.

It is not a paradise. It is rural, rough, hostile and not for ready typical pampered U.S. citizen. Besides, like The Eagles said "You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye"

This book about Taos, one of several nonfiction Taos books by John Nichols, author of The Sterile Cuckoo and The Milagro Beanfield War, is a memoir in words and pictures of his discovery and relocation to Taos. The pictures are wonderful, but don't even come close to showing the true beauty of this place, Taos.

When I lived in New Mexico, Taos was my favorite place to hike. Like the author, I would hate to see this place become the next place for rich east coast/west coast suburbanites and celebrities to ruin, like they ruined Sante Fe, New Mexico.

I plan to retire to Taos someday. Stay Away.

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His other books I've enjoyed, or plan to enjoy:

The Sterile Cuckoo is different type of love story, and one of my favorites (the book version, not the movie, which changed the story), because I am much like the male protagonist, Jerry. The book ends as many of my dreams do, lost. I also liked the movie very much, except for the changed ending. Liza Minelli received an Oscar nomination for her role.

The Milagro Beanfield War captures the essence of New Mexico and her people, tells the battles of a small local farmer against corporate mega-farms. It is a quirky comedy that should be a classic and on school reading lists.

He has another book, The Wizard of Loneliness, which has also has a movie version. I've neither read the book nor seen the movie, but this sounds like the type of story I would enjoy.

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The Foundation of our Culture

Momma loves her baby
And daddy loves you too.
And the sea may look warm to you babe
And the sky may look blue
But ooooh Baby
Ooooh baby blue
Oooooh babe.

If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life
Dragging behind you the silent reproach
Of a million tear-stained eyes
Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet.
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you
As you claw the thin ice.

- The Thin Ice, Pink Floyd

Aimless

A holiday post from Fred over at Morning Martini reminded me of this old holiday song.

Snoopy's Christmas

I hope this season brings you Peace.



My Annual List of wishes:

World Peace.
World without Hunger.
A Healthy Earth.
A Poem or a Song.
More Diversity.
Clean Air.
Piece of Pumpkin Pie.
Acme Corporation Rocket Powered Running Shoes. (Never mind, already bought them)
Rain.

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm Happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right? - Snoopy

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Nothing

"I got somethin' to say, an' then I ain't gonna say no more........
- Mayella in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee"

Don't think you'll get that lucky. I have lots to say about what I don't like, and what I think is wrong with the world.

The world really isn't changing that much, it is me. Once, I once had a more positive outlook, but time has wasted my mind, and made me more critical.

When I was in my twenties, with two small kids, I couldn't believe how much my parents and in-laws complained about my generation, the way the government is run, how the ways of the world are not to their liking anymore. I didn't share their views, and couldn't understand why they were so negative about everything, and constantly complained.

I swore that I'd never be like that.

It happened anyway. Getting older sucks!

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This and That

Too many voices just make a steady hum, humming leads to songs, to singing and next thing you know there is a song in my head to replace the voices. I think my own natural chemicals are keeping me high, and songs in my head. I can't focus on anything to write about, the music keeps getting in the way. Soooooooo, I'll just go give myself another jolt of endorphins while I got the music in me. My legs just can't keep still.

Later, got to run. Have you seen my running shoes?

"We gotta get out while were young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run"

Song of the Day: One Time One Night By Los Lobos

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Victim of The Force

I know I promised to give both my loyal readers a break, but I just had to share this.

I don't play video games. It's not because I don't enjoy the games. Back in the day, I was seriously addicted to Pac-Man and Joust (no jabs allowed about showing my age, I'm already too aware of that fact). I just don't have the time to play video games, watch TV, or go to movies, because I enjoy being active while I still can (I said no age-related jokes!)

You know that popular Windows versus Mac commercial. I found this video comparing Sony PS3 to Nintendo Wii in that style (Lets see if you straight guys can only watch it only once):

Now I want a Wii, I don't even know why, but it MUST be fun. Must buy Wii.

Speaking of effective commercials, have you seen the new PETA viddy? This one with Alicia Silverstone? Just watching her gives me more energy and makes me "feel so much more better". You?

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The Right Stuff

YES, Allison, let us focus on what is right in the world - good advice.

My own spawn has to remind me to focus on the positive, and ignore the negative, and I totally agree. I'm becoming too much like the people I complain about.

So what's right in the world?




How about this bit of wonderful news (Thanks Ray):

A Guinness a Day

Prost! To your Health. Literally.

"Folly of Human Conceits"

Carl Sagan, astronomer and science writer:

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot.

That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.

On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives.

The aggregate of
all our joys and sufferings,
thousands of confident religions,
ideologies and economic doctrines,
every hunter and forager,
every hero and coward,
every creator and destroyer of civilizations,
every king and peasant,
every young couple in love,
every hopeful child,
every mother and father,
every inventor and explorer,
every teacher of morals,
every corrupt politician,
every superstar,
every supreme leader,
every saint and sinner in the history of our species,
lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.

Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity — in all this vastness — there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It’s been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience.

To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.

To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

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Getting Religious

I love this comic.....

Here's more: Jesus & Mo

Get the Panties: Jesus & Mo Panties

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They Own You

Who's running America? You think it matters who's in the White House or who's elected to Congress or the Senate. They have no power, they gave it all way to powerful lobbyists who've bought them and play them like puppets.

Thanks azgoddess.

George Carlin: Who Owns You?

"Forget the politicians, they're irrelevant. The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice - you don't.

You have no choice.
You have owners.
They own you.
They own everything.
They own all the important land.
They own, and control the corporations.
They've long since bought, and payed for the senate, the congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pockets, and they own all the big media, so they control just about all the information you get.

They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying - lobbying, to get what they want.

Well we know what they want. They want more for themselves, and less for everybody else, but I'll tell you what they don't want - they don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking.

They don't want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that - that doesn't help them. That's against their interests. That's right.

They don't want people that are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table, and think about how badly they're getting screwed by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago. They don't want that.

You know what they want? Obedient workers - Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines, and do that paper work. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime, and vanishing pension that disappear the minute you go to collect it, and now they're coming for your social security money.

They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They'll get it - they'll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this place.

It's a big club, and you aint in it. You, and I are not in The Big Club." - George Carlin

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Imaginary Friends

What are you doing here?

Do like Nancy, go for a bike ride. Get off the computer and start enjoying the summer and quit complaining about how bad others make your life.


You have the power to have a good life or not. Start Living!

ARE YOU STILL HERE? Well, if you're going to be on the internet, do something useful, expand your mind and read Badtux's post about human imagination.

/* Please excuse the lack of blogging lately. OverDosing on endorphins keeps the voices quiet */

Love For Sale

I think I need to find a new line of work.

From Notes from THE RESISTANCE:

I have discovered a way to live life in a state of perpetual orgasmic ecstasy, unbothered by the cruel vagaries of life. It's perfectly legal, no drugs involved, no crazy meditation regimen, no change in diet or beliefs or lifestyle. It's healthy, no side effects, no hangover, just pure bliss round the clock, 24/7. Problem is, I can't articulate the secret method in words. There's no verbal way to demonstrate how I've achieved this state…………...

……. now for a limited time eligible women can receive my wisdom through special tantric exercises with me as their personal guru. After only ten, twenty sessions of intense hands-on nude full-contact sensual massage therapy ………….

Stephen Huneck - Dog Blessed

Stephen Huneck, a Vermont Artist, author, and Dog Lover has built a special place to honor Dog.

Not long after his near-death experience with Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, a wild idea popped into his mind, one that kept nagging at him. The result was Dog Mountain.

"I wanted to build a chapel, one that celebrated the spiritual bond we have with our dogs, and that would be open to dogs and people. People of any faith or belief system."


Links:

Dog Mountain Chapel
Photo Gallery

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THIS is the American way!

This is a great lady. (Streaming Video)

The universe has blessed us with her presence.

Website

Can I "Bum" a Smoke?

Why I don't get drunk anymore. Drinking "buddies" my ass

Captions anyone? (m)Ann Coulter references allowed.

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Destination Unknown

Two Thousand Moons

Moons. Two Thousand. All Shapes, Colors, and Sizes.



Lets get a better look at the moons:



This makes me want to go streaking, but sadly I am an moonless man, you'll just have to enjoy the other features.

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Picking Up The Pieces

Brick Art

I feel like that blue man in the middle, slowly trying to put myself back together. I wonder if all the pieces are still there?

What's missing? There should be a pink female sculpture, eating the blue pieces. (Shut-up niCk, you don't have to listen to all the voices.)

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Caring, Dignified, Almost Needless,......

Caring, Dignified, Almost Needless, Quiet, Moody, Picky, and Impatient.

The other day a co-worker called me moody. I picked up my mouse and and tossed it into the monitor, and replied pack in an upset tone "I'm not MOODY!", stood up and walked away in a flurry of rage. The whole scene was supposed to be my attempt at humor.

Later, the coworker came by and apologized, saying she didn't mean to upset me. I told it didn't, I was trying to be funny. She insisted "No, you were upset". I couldn't convince I was just playing around being moody because she called me moody.

This is one of the qualities I lack, which so many seek. I will not be the one to make you laugh. I have a dry sense of humor, sometimes all I can manage out of people are puzzled looks. I do have a great sense of humor, but sometimes it hard to tell when I'm "humored" because I don't always laugh at the humor I find funny.

So should I change my "Personal Ad" to reflect all the honesty about myself? Would that work and not discourage potential victims dates? What do women really want?

BTW, I haven't had a date in over a year, I haven't been trying. I don't know if I can expose the real me to anyone else and not feel bad about it.

Here is my Personal Ad, let's waste time Chasing Cars.

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