No time for blogging. The weather has been perfect for running, which is rare at this time of year. Three days of rain, and today is looking like rain, also. Man, I love all this rain, time for playing outdoors.
Work has been busy, too, but I don't like to talk about that.
...and I have a new distraction.
Stay Wet!
Recycled article cross-posted on Backroads:
Human nature is characterized by reason and tolerance. In a natural state all people are equal and independent, and as John Locke says "no one has a right to harm another's “life, health, liberty, or possessions.” " The last becoming the well-known "pursuit of happiness" guaranteed to all humans living in a just society.
With what is going on today in the in the U.S., we must remember that governmental check and balances and revolution is not only a constitutional right, but an obligation in some circumstances.
The nonsense going on with both political parties will continue until we demand and perhaps force change upon the system. These parties's, initially established to promote a set of represented ideals of our citizens, are now controlled by the money of special interest groups and have been scraping the original ideals and qualities on which they were built. These parties, in representing its member citizens, should be free of the influence of capitalism and religious groups.
Conservatism and Liberalism are the ideals these political parties are "supposed" to represent. Conservatism based on an approach to govern based on tradition and authority, and Liberalism being based on personal freedom and Progress. Usually, the Republicans have been identified as the conservative party, while the Democrats have taken a liberal approach, but we all know liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats (i.e. William Jefferson Clinton). The Liberal Republicans even claimed their own political party at one time. Of course if you go back to the origins of the Republican party, the were known as the Democratic-Republican Party at one time.
Most people don't consciously chose a side, it a reflection of their personality, in my opinion. I really don't have a choice in the direction of how believe people should be treated and governed, I use the wisdom evolution gave me and feelings of my spirit to guide me. I try to treat people the way I would like to be treated, however I've never been driven by the greed and materialism that seems to influence most people in the U.S. I've never been influenced by the promise of things, but rather by the progression of ideas. There is no right or wrong way to live, as long as you don't inhibit the rights and liberties of anyone else.
Personally, I have always leaned to the conservative side, but have a lot of viewpoints and opinions that most people would consider liberal.
I believe the best way to live is someone in middle ground of these two influences. I like tradition and routine, but believe that progress is as necessary to life as evolution. I like to have my personal liberties, but believe that some sort of government is required to limit the power, influence, and greed of those who take advantage of others.
It is best to try to balance these ideals, conservatism and liberalism, and not let one side have too much influence over the other. That is exactly what is currently happening in the U.S. It is time to balance these groups.
Thomas Jefferson was one of the most intelligent presidents the US has ever elected. In the present day, intelligent people stay far away from the nonsense of politics, but in his day it was actually an honorable profession.
That made me realize, that two of the basic founding philosophies promoted by the Republican party, in Jefferson's day, were sharp limits on the powers of the federal government, and the separation of church and state.
Look at them now. It is time to fire these imposters that have hijacked the Republican party and created a government which is beginning to give itself too much power and becoming controlled by the influence of the religious conservatives.
Under the weather
Physically, Mentally, Literally
Exhausted without cause
Cleansing rain, much impurity
The Black Dog is scratching on my back door.
Home State Premiere, August 10, at the Capri Theatre in Montgomery. Tonya S. Holly and star of the film, Lily Matland Holly will be in attendance.
Inspired by a true story. With her faithful dog and pet rabbit in tow, young Lily Strickland (Lily Matland Holly) leaves her mother (Amy Redford) and grandparents (Diane Ladd and Lee Majors) behind to embark on a purposeful journey: to find where her father disappeared at sea years ago. But she also leaves behind her mother's new boyfriend, Dean (Richard Tyson), a man with a disturbingly dark side that only Lily has seen firsthand.
Filmed in Alabama, Award Winning Independent Film: When I Find the Ocean
For showtimes and ticket information, please visit: http://www.capritheatre.org/
The film is also already available on DVD and thru NetFlix.
Ok, so the customer reviews on NetFlix aren't so great, but most complain about it being a sappy family drama, and I like those kind of movies, so it won't stop me.
One reviewer states "The dog was the best actor and deserves an oscar". Well, yeah. duh! That is enough of an endorsement for me.
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Haiku Version:
(inspired by MadHaiku)
sultry summer rush
hot wet gasping thick moist air
running in the south
Long Version:
This last Saturday's race was HOT, like last year, but more humid.
I'm so sick of this miserable heat. Please September, come quick.
Dew was still forming on my car as I drove to the race, it wouldn't dry even as I was driving, with wind hitting the windshield. The wipers on my car could not keep the outside of the windows from fogging up. It was 75 (F), which means the dew point was 75 degrees or higher. It was 85 at race time and I was sweating standing still.
SOOOOOOOO, that's my excuse for running a disappointing time, the air was just too thick to breath. My time was off by about a minute, but so was star of the show, the Alabama State 5K champion. His time was off by about a 45 seconds from his great finish last year, even the Kenyans, who usually finish in under 15:00 minutes, didn't finish as well as the past.
Three summers ago I would have been more than satisfied with that time. Then, my 5K average was around 25 minutes, and some slower race times. I thought I was past my peak, and couldn't take the heat here in the south. During a routine physical I complained to my physician of not sleeping well, sore muscles and tendons, and RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome). He noted that my iron levels were a bit low, and referred me to a neurologist to treat the RLS. I knew that my iron was low, because for the first time in my life I had been turned down for blood donation only a week before the physical. The neurologist took more blood to check my ferritin count, a component of blood iron that isn't checked during routine physicals. I received a call the next day from the neurologist's receptionist. She said that I needed to go to the store and get some iron supplements and start taking them right away. The effect was immediate, soreness disappeared, RLS stopped, and my running pace quickened without much effort. It was not just low blood iron, but low ferritin. The low ferritin was causing the low blood iron and not allowing for proper recovery after my runs. Why was the ferritin low? It was a combination of my active lifestyle, excessive sweating (I grew up in much milder climates), and a vegetarian diet. I have since modified my diet, but I still sweat too much in the summer.
Fellow Montgomery Runners
From left to right: Ron, Jim, Diane, and me (# 356)
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No time for blogging. Going on a weekend trip to the RRCA Southern Regional 5K Championship. I don't stand a chance against these elite runners, but I get to socialize with them, which is all I want to do.
This is what I want to do when I retire. No, not become a Canine Companion, raise them.
I started my day on Saturday 3:00 AM. I can barely sleep the night before a race, this night was no different. I ate my pre-race breakfast of oatmeal with raisins, dried cranberries and walnuts and, about 30 minutes later, a Clif Bar and a big cup of coffee.
The race Saturday morning was in Auburn, about a 45 minute drive away. Auburn, being a major university town, is more runner friendly than other places around Alabama. The course was hilly, but shady, through the neighborhoods around the University. The heat and humidity took it's toll on me, and I did not do as well as I hoped. That's the way it goes, summer in the south, so it wasn't surprising.
The Church sponsoring the run was having a Peach festival, and there were lots of free peach treats after the race. Peach Pie, Ice Cream, Cheesecake, cobbler, and the baskets of Peaches were the prizes. As if the whole south was in synch that day, I heard the Peaches song on my way to the run, and my race number was 42.
Going to the Country, gonna eat a lot of peaches...
I hear that Starbucks has these new "healthy" smoothies, so I run over and try one of the Chocolate Banana beverage/meal. It is very good. Yes, I have smoothies for dinner sometimes.
I'm standing there as they make my drink and I see this new book they are promoting The Art of Racing in the Rain a story from a dog's point of view. The author is Garth Stein
The book's narrator is a philosophical thinking dog. This will most likely be the next book I read, and the cover jacket synopsis told me this is the kind of story I'd love.
Dogs, Rain, Racing, Philosophy. It's like they are marketing directly to me. The racing is car racing, but at least they know how to get my attention.
GARTH STEIN is the author of three novels, The Art of Racing in the rain, How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets (winner of a 2006 PNBA Book Award), and Raven Stole the Moon. His play, Brother Jones, was produced in Los Angeles in 2005, and was hailed as "brimming with intensity" by the LA Weekly. He teaches writing to students from second grade to adult, and lives in Seattle with his family, including Comet the quadruped.- http://www.826seattle.org
Addendum to my last post: Responding to the "great job" comment from the PostSecret postcard I posted.
The next postcard on that blog talks about how unhappy a person can become in a stressful job.
Most of my career I've had great, interesting, and seemingly important jobs. When I first started in my present career, I loved the work and would do it for fun when I wasn't working. It was software development. Slinging code is much like solving complicated math word problems, which is somewhat easy and fun for me. I don't enjoy it as much anymore, it has become so complex and mismanaged. I've been dreaming a new career, but what?
I have a great job and work with wonderful people, but I desperately want to run away from it. I've had jobs that I like better, and I've only had one job that I really hated (worked for a Major TeleCom Corporation). I'm afraid to leave a good job, not knowing what's next for me, so I stick to my "lead role in a cage", but dreaming about something else.
Some people thrive on change, others hate it. It's not so much the change that I dislike, it's the unplanned or unforeseen consequences of the change that stress me, so I stick with cold comfort.
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
When I was 35 I bought a home.
I loved the house. It was in a perfect location next to a park with easy access to hiking trails and bike paths. You could walk out the front door and bike or hike to the city, or the wilderness. For someone like me who loathes driving and dependence on a motor vehicle, the location of the place suited me well.
Even though finally I fulfilled the standard of success in the U.S., the ownership of that house was not only a heavy weight to bear, it felt like ball and chain. Almost like a virtual prison, disabling my freedom.
We sold the home four years later, as a result of my divorce. I've not had a desire to buy another home.
Why is home/land ownership an "American Dream"?
Why is it so important for us to declare "mine, mine, mine"?
Thanks to azgoddess for reminding me to turn out the lights tonight.
Find something to do which can be done in the dark......
.....like Dancing.
I met up with Glen around Tallassee and ran around 4 miles with him. He was trying to go 100 miles today, which would take him well into Georgia. He did over 60 yesterday, and is feeling strong for his final push to Savannah. He is setting new records.
While we were running, Glen put his trip in perspective:
Dean Karnazes made headlines when he did 50 marathons (1300 miles) in 50 days (in all 50 states).
Glen will do almost a hundred marathons (> 2500) in less than 40 days.
We did a Podcast interview, before I turned around and he pushed on.
Keep on Zzzooming, Glen.....
Update: He made 101 miles on Saturday, and 80 on Sunday. Around 160 miles to go...
From Glen's website:
March 25, 2008 Update:
Glen has reached Tybee Island, GA and has successfully finished his journey! His total distance is 4,233 km in 37 days 1 hour and 18 minutes. Congratulations Glen!
4233 km = 2630.264 mi (or more than 101 marathons)
Even your dog has a blog
Max The Golden Retriever
Update on Glen (from the previous post): He will be running through Montgomery this weekend, I hope to meet with him and maybe run some miles along side him.
I've been extremely busy with other distractions, little time left for blogging, but I still browse the blogs. See Ya round the blogosphere.......
Meet Glen R. Turner.
Apathy has taken control of my blog time.
The voices are still there, shouting as loud as ever.
I have found a way to block out the yelling in my head.
The voices stop when I look directly into the light.
The main purpose of eating is to maintain your health.
In the U.S. it is also a major source of entertainment and gratification. Since religionists identify other forms of self-gratification as immoral, they have created a culture in which this form of pleasure is wholesome and acceptable, when there are times when it isn't. My opinion is; in moderation, any form of contentment is healthy, and avoidence or obsession of these pleasures is ultimately destructive to our body's homeostasis.
There is a joy to eating, and science has learned to recreate the source of the stimulus, without providing the nutrition that real, whole food should provide. They do this by processing the food with salts, sugar, chemicals, and imitation flavors and ingredients. Your body will respond to this imbalance of nutrition from these artificial foods with cravings, which effects our moods, for the nutrients which is missing from the food.
We need to focus on real, whole, unprocessed foods in great variety and colors. If we would pay more for better, well-grown food, we'll benefit ourselves, our communities, and the environment at large.
A good source for nutrition information, and the ecology of food is Michael Pollan
I once had the confidence to walk on the edge of life, at spectacular heights.
I didn't realize the reason for my confidence and courage of heights until they were gone.
It was because you held my hand.
....
Many have I loved - Many times been bitten
Many times I've gazed along the open road.
Many times I've lied - Many times I've listened
Many times I've wondered how much there is to know.
Many dreams come true and some have silver linings
I live for my dream and a pocketful of gold.
Mellow is the man who knows what he's been missing
Many many men can't see the open road.
Many is a word that only leaves you guessing
Guessing 'bout a thing you really ought to know, ooh!
You really ought to know...
You cannot be spiritual and egocentric at the same time.
You cannot say you have an eternal soul, if you are selfishly focused on your life, your beliefs, and your understanding of the material world.
You cannot say you know God, if you think that humans are some kind of unique deity-chosen animal to be the "caretaker" of this place. Humans are no more special than a handful of soil, or the worms that work it so life can prosper. Without either, life, as humans define it, would not exist.
Humans were late-comers to this planet, and will most likely be gone before this planet's demise. It is the natural order of things, to change, rid the bad parts, develop more useful and healthy life. Human life is only a mere speck of ordered material, inhabited for a very brief time on this piece of leftover debris.
Then there are the mysteries no human will ever know. The how, where, why, and what answers which are beyond what our limited insight and intelligence can show us. What is beyond the known universe, and beyond what we will never know? On that, we must rely on faith.
The lasting affect of long dead prophets, philosophers, and a supposed messiah, is not who they were nor how they lived, but how their past lives and teachings still influence our daily lives.
Enjoy all aspects of life. It is short, scary, and meaningless. The only thing that will outlast your brief moment of deluded consciousness, and bring some kind of meaning to your existence, is the affect you have on other meaningless lives.
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Am I losing my mind? Did I ever have sanity? Is this reality?. One voice says no, the other laughs and says "why are you asking stupid questions, fool". I wish they would just be quiet so I could sleep.
If you don't like my opinions, that's fine. They are mine, not yours. You can't have them, get your own.
If you do like my opinions, then you need to start thinking for yourself, quit letting the media control your mind.
Yes, I'm a believer, but it's not what you believe.
Best of Luck.
