the goddamned running
full disclosure...
- Monday, June 26: 3.3 miles | treadmill | decent pace
- Tuesday: 3 miles (maybe a little more) | stopped for a swim after 2, finished run carrying 6 rocks (Very Rocky III)
- Wednesday: walked 3 miles with Mike
- Thursday (today): committing to 6 miles around lake
- Friday: 0 miles (dinner party)--I did, by the way, run 6 miles yesterday
- Saturday: 0 miles. Worked hard all afternoon in the garden but no running.
- Sunday: 6 miles | 1:02 hrs. | Tough course, but still not too impressive. Maybe it's longer than 6.)
Have to be doing 15 - 20 miles per week as of July 3.
Oh my God, Peter's got a blog
Run, don't walk to
The Lone Locust (of the Apocolypse.)
Saving the Day
No need to worry about Global Warming anymore. I've switched the majority of bulbs in my house to new enviro-friendly compact florescent spirals from GE (via Wal-Mart.) Each bulb will save 150 lbs of CO2 a year.
I'm currently adapting to my new murky environment. The new enviro-bulbs have a slightly phlegm-greenish cast that makes me feel like I'm underwater. Maybe the soft-white is a bit too soft. I'll try the harsh-white and report back.
The good news is that I can leave my house ablaze 24/7 for a tiny-fraction of the energy consumption of my old ice-cap-melting incandescents. Hurray!
Peter urged me to hang onto the receipts so that I can get a refund if they burn out prior to the promised 8-year life expectancy. If someone offered to pay me the cost of the bulbs to store a receipt for 8 years, I’d laugh. Anyway, the world will probably be a scorched desert by then. Carpe diem.
One more thing about Gore's movie...
"In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to."
--Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN TIMES / June 2, 2006
Read the full review.
An Inconvenient Truth
Please see this movie. I was fortunate to see Al Gore present this lecture live at the Milken Institue Global Conference in LA last year -- a thoroughly engrossing, utterly compelling plea to face the music about Global Warming. I shook his hand afterwards, but was rendered speechless by his presentation and all I could manage to say was "thank you."
After you watch the trailer, please visit http://www.climatecrisis.net and explore the many ways we can make a difference.
Here are ten simple things to do:
1. CHANGE A LIGHT
Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 lbs of CO2 a year
2. DRIVE LESS
Walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit more often. You'll save 1 pound of CO2 for EVERY MILE you don't drive!
3. RECYCLE MORE
You can save 2400 pounds of CO2 / year by recycling just half of your household waste
4. CHECK YOUR TIRES
Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere
5. USE LESS HOT WATER
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2/year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds of CO2/year)
6. AVOID PRODUCTS WITH A LOT OF PACKAGING
You can save 1200 pounds of CO2 if you cut down your garbage by 10%
7. ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT
Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer could save about 2000 pounds of CO2/year
8. PLANT A TREE
A single tree will absorb one ton of CO2 over its lifetime
9. BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION
Learn more and get active at ClimateCrisis.net
10. SPREAD THE WORD!
You can start by seeing “An Inconvenient Truth” and sharing it with friends.
Find a theater here.
Gotta Bounce
Another list of unconventional (and unconfirmed) uses for a household product forwarded from my mother. After a quick search, this exact list is on a million blogs all over the place. (You’ve probably gotten this e-mail.) Oh well, still fun…and worth a try!
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My mail carrier told me that the US Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow jackets away. Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The yellow jackets just veer around you. And all this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!
• It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.
• It also repels mice..spread them around foundation areas, or in trailers, cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
• It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
• Repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
• Eliminates static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
• Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
• Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
• Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
• Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
• Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
• Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
• Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
• Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between pan and the food.
• Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
• Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
• Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
• Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
• Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
• Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
• Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.
• Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. Keeps them smelling fresh.
WD-40
Forwarded by my mother--believe at your own risk. While I'm not sure of the original source, I did find a fun website dedicated to an exhaustive list of surprising uses for this miracle product.
==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==* WD-40 Or Water Displacement #40 as it is known. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.
The workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling (also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home. The executives decided there might be a consumer market for it and put it in aerosol cans. The rest, as they say, is history.
It is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master." There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year. It gets its distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.
When you read the "shower door" part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stovetop...Voila! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed. Here are some of the uses:
- Protects silver from tarnishing.
- Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
- Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.
- Keeps flies off cows.
- Restores and cleans chalkboards.
- Removes lipstick stains.
- Loosens stubborn zippers.
- Untangles jewelry chains
- Removes stains from stainless steel sinks
- Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
- Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
- Removes tomato stains from clothing.
- Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
- Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
- Keeps scissors working smoothly.
- Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
- Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
- Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
- Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
- Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
- Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
- Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
- Removes splattered grease on stove. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
- Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
- Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
- Removes all traces of duct tape.
- Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
- Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers."
- The favorite use in the state of New York--WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
- Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch
P.S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL
EZ Jackson Pollock
This site is awesome. Create your own Jackson Pollock inspired dribblings. Just click the mouse to change colors.
Hurray for the Episcopalians & Presbyterians
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Jun 20, 8:34 PM EDT 
Episcopalians Reject Ban on Gay Bishops
By RACHEL ZOLL , AP Religion Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Episcopal delegates Tuesday snubbed Anglican leaders' request to temporarily stop electing openly gay bishops, a vote that prompted the church's leader to call a special session in hopes of reaching a compromise to preserve fragile Anglican unity.
The vote by the Episcopal House of Deputies came just hours before Presbyterians, at a separate meeting, approved a plan to let local congregations install gay ministers if they wish.
In Columbus, wrenching debate over the moratorium on gay bishops stretched over two days in the House of Deputies, a legislative body of more than 800 clergy and lay leaders.
Top Anglican officials had asked the Episcopalians for a temporary ban to calm the outrage among conservatives over the election three years ago of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who lives with his longtime male partner.
(Read full story.)
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enjoy the coffee
Forwarded from my Uncle Jeff:
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A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups-- porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite-- telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases the kind of cup just makes the coffee more expensive and even hides what we drink.
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups, and then began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the types of cups we have do not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cups, we fail to enjoy the coffee.
snake in the grass
I saw a snake today while running. Just an ordinary snake. However, there is something unnerving about seeing a snake slip into the grass. Like Nature, upon being discovered, retracts it's tail.
I also saw a beautiful doe and fawn walk slowly across my path in Becket.
Philadelphia, Here I Come
I have made a decision to run the Philadelphia Marathon — 26.2 miles — on November 19. This is an exciting and terrifying decision. Having run the New York City Marathon in 2002, I know what I’m in for.
My friend Donald in New York was recently informed that he did not get selected in the lottery to run the NYC Marathon this year, so he made plans to do the Philadelphia Marathon a few weeks later. Since the Philly race is not difficult to enter, I knew that I could do it if I wanted to. Hearing him talk about it made me a little jealous and a little guilty. I’ve been feeling fat and lazy, and I know training for a marathon will address both those things.
While Donald and I will probably not run together in the race, it will be good to have someone to commiserate with. Training becomes a somewhat obsessive focus, and it’s important to have people to blab with. (Civilians lose interest after a minute or two of talking about shin splints, goo, bloody nipples, etc.)
I’m not going to identify any goals yet other than to finish without any significant walking. My NYC time was 3:56, but I don’t know if it’s realistic to try to beat that time or not. I worked pretty hard to get to that pace. We’ll see.
There is adequate time for a slow start to the training. (Thank God.) I’ve been running in the gym a little bit through the winter, but I’m not in great shape. In fact I weigh about 206 lbs. — 38 lbs. heavier than when I ran in 2002. So, I’m going to start running outside regularly, building weekly miles up to about 15 – 20 miles a week. Starting July 3, I’ll maintain 15-20 miles/week for 4 weeks, and then start a 16-week build up, which will include some long runs up to about 22 miles.
I did my first “training run” on Thursday. A beautiful 7-mile hilly loop starting and ending at my house in Haydenville. I went slowly, but felt ok. That’s the longest I’ve run in quite some time. Yesterday, I explored the unpaved rail-trail that also goes right past my house. It’s a spectacularly gorgeous trail that follows the Mill River through the woods. I have only walked a short stretch of it before, and I’m thrilled to discover such a lovely place to run right from my door. If I run to the first road-crossing and turn around, I think it’s about 2.5 miles. This is a good distance to have in my back pocket. It’s a non-threatening default run for those days that I don’t have the time or energy for a longer run.
I think I’ll try to post my training log here online. I’ll edit the post each day so that I have a week’s record, then start a new post. So…
- Thursday, June 15 | 7 miles | Haydenville loop. Very hilly. Slow pace.
- Friday, June 16 | 2.5 miles | River trail. Felt okay, slow pace, stopped to explore a few times.
- Saturday, June 17 | 0 miles | day off
- Sunday, June 18 | 5 miles (plus 2 walking) | Very hot, very tired. It really depleted me -- I've been a bit dizzy and nauseous all day. Maybe a little sunburnt? I should stick to running in the evening.
- Monday, June 19 | 0 miles | I have a miserable summer cold. Makes me feel better about having such a crappy run yesterday. I did however, by a watch to use for running. Walmart: $6.95. I love it! Why spend more? It's funny, I'm actually really tickled about the watch.
- Tuesday, June 20 | 0 miles | Still sick, and gave an hour-long presentation to Greylock Staff on positive reinforcement, facilitating friendships, behavior management, conflict resolution, and survival strategies. Went over well. The alarm function on my new $7 running watch worked beautifully this morning -- even has a snooze! : )
- Wedbesday, June 21 | 0 miles | still sick, but walked 2.5 with Peter and Butch. (Attacked by three Coyotes at dusk.)
- Thursday, June 22 | 0 miles | still feeling punk.
I bought art
I bought art!
For a long time I've wanted to begin collecting original art. I think it just began as a rejection of the tired old dorm-room posters. I soon opted for original photography (usually my own) or a few old family photos. I have also acquired a few unique odds and ends for the walls: an antique advertisement for plumbing fixtures from the Haydenville Brassworks, or a hand printed sign from a letterpress.
So...I somehow met and began keeping in touch with a local painter named Justin Kim. He showed me some of his work, and while I love his landscapes (and hope to acquire one soon), I also really liked a series of nudes painted with black ink (I think.) Like chinese calligraphy, the speed of the brush strokes is apparent from the spread of the pigment.
A little more affordable than a full-color oil painting on canvas, these seemed like a great start to the collection. As you can see, they are in the boudoir, which seems a good setting for their languid poses. It feels a little daring to have two males nudes prominently displayed, but I think they are very tasteful and it also feels like a bold declaration that this is my house and my tastes.
I hope this is the start of an expanding personal collection.
How does your garden grow? (Hey Mary!)
I'm still determined to dedicate a number of blog posts to my Italy trip, but in the meantime, life rolls along. So...here's a quick post to start the blog ball rolling again.
I've been going a bit crazy in the garden (such as it is.) I have a little porch, and a few tiny bits or ground to work with, but it's been such fun. In such a small space, any new plant or improvement makes a noticeable impact.
Today I planted a hydrangea shrub. It's not blooming yet, but I think the flowers are supposed to white with a subtle blue tint. I also planted an Arbor Vitae shrub, 2 potted dwarf spruces, some morning glories to climb the fence and the wall and moved some lilies. I've spent a king's ransom, but it's giving me no end of pleasure both to work at it, and to admire it. I am forever wandering outside just to look it over. I still want to plant some Impatiens and ivy in the pots with the spruces. There's still a lot that I could do.
The porch is amazing. It's the gayest garden porch ever. It looks like some Key West guest house. Giant hanging baskets of petunias, fuchsia, and ferns. Wicker chairs and a couch. Pillows everywhere. A chaise for napping backed by billowy white curtains. Little wrought-iron tables, candles, window boxes, and glazed pots of mint and basil.
There's even a trickling little water-feature and buddha-ish statue sitting among the river-stones.
OK, so the whole thing is a bit over the top. But why not? It's my little decadent summer indulgance.
