Source: How Loopy Is That
Tuesday Morning Wake-Up Call (Post Long Weekend)
January 21, 2020 by 15 Comments
Monday Morning Wake-Up Call
January 6, 2020 by 40 Comments
Don’t ask. Don’t ask how many times I’ve watched this loop. Source: gifycat. Thank you Jack.
Running. Not with Lorena.
November 29, 2019 by 50 Comments
Thanksgiving Day.
8 a.m. 43° F.
I haven’t run in weeks. Weeks. I don’t wanna run.
The TV in background is running a Netlix preview for The Irishman. Ah, yes. I’ve been waiting for this flick. I pause to watch the trailer.
The momentum is shifting here, I’m wobbly, a topple back onto the couch is so seductive. Rest DK. Take the morning off.
I stand shirtless in front of the mirror. And stare. Eyes drop to the nipples*, they are firm, no slouching, and in so much better shape than the rest of me. I apply Body Glide, like an amateur cross-country skier rubbing the wax stick on his skis, or in this case my entire upper torso. God knows, if I get going, chafing could run wild. The rest of me may come apart on this run, but there’s no chance Boobies** are going down.
Mind drifts to a short (but moving) 28-minute documentary I watched the night before: Lorena, Light-Footed Woman. Lorena is a 22-year old indigenous Raramuri woman from the Chihuahua region of Mexico (think mountainous territory, no others within miles.). She’s been a top finisher in ultramarathons (up to 62 miles) and runs in Raramuri dresses and sandals. Sandals! And not made by Tory Burch. A notable scene has her opening up a gift from a running shoe manufacturer, a pair of fluorescent orange, slick all-pro running shoes. She delicately opens the package, looks at the shoes, carefully places them back in the shoe box and says: “I don’t think I’ll use them. The people who do…are always running behind me.” And she bows her head turning away from the camera. Don’t you just love her!
And so it goes, Lorena the night before, and the indigenous Connecticut Man on Thanksgiving Day.
On goes my sweat-wicking running shirt.
On go my running shorts.
On go my smart-wool socks.
On go my running pants.
On goes my running jacket.
On goes my Apple watch.
On go my running shoes.
On goes my fanny pack.
In goes my Smartphone in the fanny pack.
In goes the bottle of water in fanny pack.
On goes the Tuk. And it’s a Tuk. Not Touque. Not Tuque. Or whatever else the French Canadians want to take credit for. Tuk was founded in Western Canada in the mid to late 60’s in a town called Castlegar. Don’t like it, re-write the story on Wiki. [Read more…]
T.G.I.F.: It’s Been A Long Week
November 22, 2019 by 21 Comments
Source: Mondo. “It’s An Art Show, Charlie Brown. This past weekend we kicked off the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Charles M. Schulz’s brilliant PEANUTS. (via thisisnthappiness)
It’s been a long day
November 12, 2019 by 42 Comments
Phoenix, AZ.
Visiting Brother.
Time: Now.
I was inspired by the full Moon over the Camelback Mountains the night before.
I was further inspired by a Moon quote from a Murakami book that I came across this morning.
So much inspiration is grist for a blog post. As the bio suggests, if it moves me, it goes up. No other criteria required. Full stop.
Tell my Brother that I’m going out to take some shots of the Moon with my Smartphone. How hard can it possibly be, right?
I step outside.
I walk a block looking in all directions.
Then I walk a second block. It was a cloudless day in Phoenix. How hard can it be? Pretty damn hard without the Moon.
I get in car. I drive 5 miles east. Why East? Because the Sun Rises in the East. So Moon must be East. Does this make any sense? It gets Dark, the Moon is there. Does it rise at all?
I could have Googled it before I left (“Does the Moon Rise? “What time does the Moon rise in Phoenix today?”)
But, WTH would I do that for?
In 50+ years, it has never dawned on me that the Moon wouldn’t be there waiting for me when it was dark on a cloudless night.
I drive back. Wow. Empty handed. Embarrassing and beyond.
“What took so long?”
“I couldn’t find the Moon?”
“You’ve got to be kidding?’
“No Moon.”
“OK Smart a**. Does the Moon rise or is it just there?”
He has no clue either. Same root, same stock. Makes sense.
He’s watching me write this Post. He’s staring, wondering: “You aren’t really going to tell the world that you don’t know Jack about the Moon are you?”
Apparently I’m going to do exactly that. Yep.
I’m connected to my own reality here.
“We’re both looking at the same moon, in the same world. We’re connected to reality by the same line. All I have to do is quietly draw it towards me.”
~ Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart
Notes:
- Photo: Not Mine. Phoenix, AZ. Moon last night (Nov 11, 2019). Amazing shot by Beverly Thornburgh.
- Quote via The Vale of Soul Making
- Related Posts: It’s been a long day
Riding Metro North. Seat Selection Psychology.
October 11, 2019 by 24 Comments
I’ve noticed.
It’s happened enough times, to notice. Is it only me that notices these things?
Typically off peak trains.
I’m early.
I take the window seat, in a three seater. Always a 3-seater. Always the window seat.
I don’t place my bag on the seat, a Welcome mat for other commuters.
Train car begins to fill.
Ladies. Men. All colors, sizes.
They take a quick glance.
And they pass.
They’ll crowd into a two seater across, in front, behind. Or a three seater in front, behind.
The car reaches capacity, and he (or she) will approach,
look up and down the car,
and take the seat.
But why?
All of the seats already had an occupant, which meant I was going to have to position myself next to a stranger. In a different mood, I enjoyed this game: one had ten seconds to scan the occupants and select the slimmest, sanest, cleanest-looking person to sit next to. Choose wrongly, and the fifteen-minute journey into town would be a much less pleasant experience—either squashed beside a sprawling fatty, or mouth-breathing to minimize the penetration of the reek emanating from an unwashed body. Such was the excitement of traveling on public transport…I stared at the floor, my mind racing. Did I … did I look like the kind of person who ought to be avoided in a game of bus seat selection? I could only conclude, in the face of the evidence, that I did. But why?
~ Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Photo credit
“Do you have concerns over mild memory loss?”
October 2, 2019 by 34 Comments
Hell, yes. But…
This was the tag line for an ad from Prevagen.
The ad ran during the peak Nightly News time slot.
Prevagen’s estimated annual sales are $200 million +. The dietary supplement is said to be on sale at over 20,000 retail locations nationwide including CVS and Walgreens. ($41.99 for 30 capsules at CVS)
Prior firm ads state:
“You might take something for your heart… your joints… your digestion. So why wouldn’t you take something for the most important part of you… your brain?”
Wow.
According to the company’s website, people who use people Prevagen (Quincy Bioscience) can “experience improved memory, a sharper mind, and clearer thinking. However, a review of the evidence indicates that these effects are not well substantiated. In addition, the FDA has warned Quincy Bioscience in the past against claiming Prevagen could treat conditions such as head injuries and Alzheimer’s disease and for failing to report adverse reactions. The FDA has also claimed that the key ingredient, apoaequorin, a synthetic protein, is not an acceptable ingredient in a dietary supplement. The FTC is also pursuing a lawsuit against the company regarding its promotion of Prevagen.(Consumerlab.com)
