Running update!!

Ok, I’ve been running lately.  Something about the oppressive heat and stinging wind and drenching sweat really brings out the masochist in me, I suppose.

Anyway, there is a 1 mile circuit around my neighborhood that I’ve been running without the aid of technological doo-dads.  I have no idea what pace I’m keeping, but I am managing to do it non-stop, which is no small victory considering it’s been several years since I’ve run any significant amount.

The recent small victories have inspired me to attempt to scale a larger victory and take a long run this weekend.  I’ve got my eye on a 2.5 to 3 miler on Sunday morning (not sure of the exact distance).  If I get up early enough I’ll tackle it.  If I don’t, I may have to wait until later in the day.  Time will tell.

 

As for the marathon in January, logistics are working against me on that one.  I’m almost certainly not going to be able to manage the space-time trick of being somewhere 3 hours before I get there.  Even with a chip.

 

However, Austin’s marathon is February 14.

There is a beach to bay RELAY marathon in May 2010.

On January 9 the World’s Longest Causeway 10k run will be held, but I think I’m in South America for that one.

The Dallas Marathon is in December 2009.

And finally the San Antonio Marathon is in November 2009.

 

Maybe I can train up for the Dallas marathon…  or maybe Austin.  But Austin is hilly.  Yuck.

 

I don’t know.  Maybe a better plan is to just run now and decide what, if any, stupid human trick I’ll bother to do later.

Hey, isn’t there a Run the Woodlands next week?

 

Oh, yea, we cut off military cooperation with Honduras today, too.  ‘Cause, you know, it’s better to have a president who is trying to rewrite the constitution with a rigged election than a congress and supreme court that’s actually trying to protect the country from being remade in Venezuela’s and Cuba’s image.  Bravo.  Bra.  Vo.

 

Stuff I've liked

First, I know it’s hot.  But I still got on the bike for a little leisurely ride yesterday evening and I’m still hoping some kind of significant rain will come.  We got a little sprinkle the other day, but it wasn’t enough to make the dirt wet below the very tippy top of the soil.  Oh well, those are the perils of summer gardening.

This weekend I’m going to stake out the area for my corn patch.  I’m very VERY excited about getting corn next spring and summer.  Yum.

 

There’s been a lot going on the last month or so that I haven’t liked.  The lukewarm response to the protests in Iran, the limp wristed handling of North Korea, the refusal to stand by the Honduran congress taking a stand against a would-be dictator for life, the carbon tax and tax bill, the …  oh, it goes on and on.  But there have been some relatively recent developments that I liked.  Some that I liked a lot.

 

First, though, on the topic of Iran, it looks like the “revolution” might peter out.  No, there’s not a lot we can do other than to say that we are watching events unfold with interest and are hopeful that the Iranian people, when all is said and done, will choose for themselves a government that is more engaged with the world, including the US.  Were a movement to emerge that would seek such engagement, we would eagerly support it.

Unfortunately, the “opposition” doesn’t seem to be interested in that kind of engagement.  Mousavi is not a revolutionary, but a reformer.  He doesn’t want to take down the system, but work within the system.  THAT, more than anything, is why I believe this “revolution” will peter out.  Not because the people don’t want change, but the people’s leaders do not want change.  And, despite the platforms and party slogans, our own administration does not want change, but rather stability at all costs.  The same policies, by the way, that put us in the position of supporting despots and tyrants for so many years just so long they supported us right back.  Remember all the criticism about Saddam Hussein being our “friend” for so long, only find the end of his career at the loop of a noose?  But when the previous administration turned his back on these despots and, instead, supported freedom initiatives it was criticized as short sighted because, apparently, brown people don’t deserve democracy.  Sometimes positive change means short term chaos while supporting stability at all costs means supporting dictators and tyrants and kicking the inevitable revolution down the road.

 

Now on to the stuff I like.

The Kang Nam was shadowed by a US destroyer after it left its North Korean harbor because it is suspected of carrying illegal arms.  A couple of days ago it turned back and is heading either home or to another port near home.  That’s a big win.

We tested our own ICBM off the coast of California.  That’s also a big win.  I don’t have a problem showing North Korea that we know how it’s done.  Sure, they’re more bark than bite, and they can’t do all the stuff they think or say they can, but it only takes 1 lucky hit to make a point.  Nonetheless, with the missile radar and various defensive measures in place, I’m liking what I’m seeing.

The tougher rhetoric with regards to Iran is also good to hear.  Sure, it’s just talk.  Sure, there is no “revolution” going on, for now.  But if the regime keeps pushing the “reformer” may become a “revolutionary” and we need to be in a position to support…  if we want to even bother.  Hopefully, we want to bother.

 

I’m still a skeptic, and I disagree philosophically with the President, but I’m a hopeful skeptic.

More on Honduras

I wonder if when our President calls for "all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter" he means the now former Honduran president, too?

Because THAT guy was on the verge of doing some pretty non-democratic things.

This “coup” is a great victory for the democracies of the Western hemisphere.  A nation that supports free elections and democratic ideals, one would think, would be supportive of a government working to protect those same principles.  ESPECIALLY in Central America.

Hooray!!

Tonight I’ll be missing out on yet another bike ride and instead repairing the drain on the bathtub.  Yippee.

Meanwhile, the lack of rain and oppressive heat are taking their toll on both the veggies and herbs.  I’m counting a full month for sure since the last real rain.  Possibly 6 weeks.  It’s been dry.  Real dry.

 

Meanwhile, a bunch of famous people died.  Seriously, I don’t care.  My heart breaks for their families and friends, but it’s the burden that families and friends have to bear.  AND it’s a burden that’s a little easier to bear without an entire nation voyeuristically gawking at their pain saying “oh, he meant so much to me” when we didn’t even know the dead celebrity.  There should be some kind of “mind your own damn business” filter, but, alas, the self absorbed cretins who somehow feel validated by standing in the glow of stardom and following lives that are far more glamorous than the perfectly fine life they’ve been blessed with feel it is perfectly appropriate to NEED to know the precise circumstances about which someone who they saw on tv this one time died.  Because, you know, death is a spectator sport.

Meanwhile, thousands die in obscurity every day.  Is their family’s pain no less significant?  Can you not visit a random funeral home where an anonymous stranger lies and a child cries and not offer any comfort to THAT person?  No, of course not, that person was not famous.  You’d rather watch people die on tv and the internet.  Why mourn the anonymous?  Why try to comfort the living when you can just spin around in your pointless world?

What’s more the billions upon billions who are about to die and carry on with their day to day anonymity who you would be more likely to shoot the bird rather than smile and wave to, because DEATH is not a spectator sport, but FAMOUS DEATH, of course, is.

America, in times like this you make me sick.  Absolutely sick.

 

While you weren’t looking, the cries for freedom in Iran are still being brutally snuffed out.

While you weren’t looking, the Honduran President, who was working with Hugo Chaves to overthrow a relatively stable democratic system and install another dictator who elected in successive sham elections, was removed from office by the Honduran Congress.  (If you read past “Military Coup” in the headline you’ll see it was a “Congressional Coup”, but who cares, right?   There’s another dead celebrity.)  The United States—you know, the defender of freedom and liberty and democracy—is not happy that a constitutional government is protecting itself from a political coup.

While you weren’t looking, North Korea was still preparing to launch an ICBM towards Hawaii.

But don’t worry about it.  American Idol should be starting a new season soon.

Running in the sun

Last night we got a light sprinkle.  Not quite enough to soak into the ground, just enough to piss off the garden, and just barely enough to make this morning cooler.

Of course, had it come 5 minutes earlier, while I was running, I’d have appreciated it even more.  That would have been a nice relief.

 

The current running plan involves my lovely wife tagging along on her bike while she pulls the kiddo in the bike trailer.  She naturally rides at a slow enough pace that I can keep up with her and it provides the added bonus of a pace “rabbit” to keep me honest about my speed.  Not too fast, not too slow, just right and steady as she goes.  It will also provide much needed information for my closest and best advisor as to whether or not I’m going to be in a place where I can become ready to run the marathon, and consequently whether or not I should bother to sign up.  When/If we work our way up to longer run/rides, she can carry the drinks.  Very, very clever, yea?

 

Anyway, sign up day is about 3 weeks away and I’m still mostly undecided.  I’m certain that I like the idea, but less certain about whether or not I really, really want it enough to reshuffle my schedule with school, work, the garden, duties as an elder, duties as a father, other side projects, etc.

***

Events in Iran have unfolded just about as our fears predicted (not our worst fears, mind you, it could be much, much worse).  The oddest thing is that the regime might have legitimately won the election, even without massive ballot stuffing and the suspected widespread fraud.  The mullahs could have avoided all this by simply letting the electoral process go forward.  And supporting the protesters with even the slightest bit of rhetorical “atta boy”?  Nope, not gonna happen.  We wouldn’t want to, you know, challenge the status quo.  Pax via dictum, you know, as opposed to si, se puede.  Makes you wonder what might happen if people here were to take to the streets to protest the oncoming taxation tsunami …  oh, wait, that did happen and they were ridiculed as small minded idiots.  I remember.  In that context, turning your back on protesters demanding more representation from their government makes sense.  Chosen Ones must look out for each other.

***

Here’s the thing about our food system (or, really, just about every logistical system in the US).  If the current industrial system for getting food from the field to the fryer didn’t exist, somebody would invent it.  It’s extremely efficient and grew up, if you pardon the phrase, organically by individuals seeking to add value to their enterprise by consolidating farming operations, transportation operations, processing operations, and distribution operations.  It really makes perfect sense if you look at it from a logistics point of view.

Unfortunately, looking at it from that point of view takes all the humanity and life out of the process, as well, and you have what seems to be heinously atrocious conditions within processing (butchering) facilities.  The animals are not viewed as living organisms but rather inputs to the operation and resources to be maximized and managed.  Quality of life is an irrelevant variable when you’re looking for maximum yield.  That’s just how it is.

And this is where that activist government involvement that I generally oppose is not a bad thing.  The best systems are not actually the best systems for the population.  Yes, getting the meat from the field to the fryer in the most cost effective manner possible is great for commerce and good for my wallet, but it’s not necessarily good for my health and, in the long run, may end up being WORSE for my wallet by forcing me to pay for the meat in other way—doctors bills, fuel bills, cost of land—and bad for our culture by disconnecting us from where food comes from and what food is.  Food is not merely an input to our system, otherwise we could subsist on nutrient rich artificial filler.  Food is actually something that is supposed to sustain us, if consumed in the proper mixture, and entertain us by providing a cornucopia of flavors, colors, textures, and scents.  That’s what food IS…  it doesn’t have to be an inconvenience that interrupts our busy days.  Otherwise, we could just plug a tube into our gut and never have to stop.  Until it kills us.

International Political Chess

First off, I didn’t run last night, but I did think about it. I got home from class around 9:00pm and, generally, when I get home from class my internal engine is running at a pretty quick clip. I was thinking on the way home that taking a quick run would be a good way to run that engine down a little bit.

But I didn’t run. Maybe tonight…

In other news the blackberry/apple jam turned out great. Tastes absolutely fantastic. Yum.

And another 4 ounces of berries came out of the garden.

Finally, what would happen if the clerics in Iran decided to “bring in the tanks”? Would Iran’s proverbial chickens come home to roost? After all, they’ve expended an obscene amount of money arming Hezbollah and Hamas as well as militias in Iraq. Sistani, in Iraq, has ties back to Iran, as does, I believe, Sadr. Both of those militias are pretty well armed (with Iranian guns and explosives). So, what would happen if the clerics in Iran decided they’d had enough of these protesters? What if the protesters win? What if the protesters win and the clerics are toppled? Does Sistani come back to Iran and try to resurrect the clerical regime? Does Sadr fill in the gap Sistani leaves behind in Iraq? Do Hezbollah and Hamas come back to defend the clerics, or the people (my guess would be clerics)? And if they do, does that mean the violence in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon will finally come to an end and we’ll have a Palestinian state? And how many rockets have been fired into Israel from the Strip since the election in Iran and the protests started?

So many moving parts over there. Such a fascinating turn of events.

Oh yea, and Japan is reporting that North Korea may test fire a missile toward Hawaii. But those sanctions are really working and we’re really serious about it this time. Which city must be sacrificed this time?

1 month, and counting

Signup day for the Houston Marathon is coming up precisely 1 month from now.  The fee is $90.  I have not yet come up with a good reason not to do it, though I have also not come up with a particularly good reason TO do it.

I still hate running.

I still have exactly no time.

I still would rather sleep between 5 and 9 in the morning, than run at any point between 5 and 9 in the morning.

 

On the other hand, chicks running at memorial park are pretty hot.

Performing ridiculous feats of physical strength impresses the one girl I really care about.

Finishing is very, very cool.

 

Oh yea, and then health benefits, and blah blah blah.

 

Time and energy, or lack thereof, are significant factors.  I got a lot of stuff going on.

However, this is my last chance to finish my second marathon before I turn 35.  And, of course, finishing 2 marathons will put me something like 58,673 marathons behind Jon Walk.

 

What to do…  what to do…

***

I’m guessing that just about everyone is watching the events unfold in Iran.  Amazing stuff going on…  and equally amazing that while social networks are hip deep in the action, MySpace is seemingly absent.  Very, very interesting.  Makes you wonder what would have happened 20 years ago in China if Twitter had existed then.

Maybe, just to help out the protesters, the UN can pass some completely meaningless resolutions?

***

I’m seriously contemplating adding rabbits to the old backyard farmstead.  We haven’t quite perfected the production side of the garden, but we are getting a decent amount of daily production.  We’ve got enough variety in the crops to ensure decent production, but not over production, allowing for a handful of beans each day, a bowl of blackberries each day, 2 or 3 tomatoes each day, etc.  Not really enough to freeze and store, but enough to munch on and enjoy without having to spend money on extra foods.  Water is also a very good thing.  On that note, a June drought neither helps the garden nor the bank account.

So, with decent, though not overwhelming, vegetable production coming out of our little patch of dirt, I’ve been thinking about “livestock”.  And by “livestock” I mean anything that is 1. Alive and 2. Able to stock my freezer with meat.  Being in the suburbs, my list is limited to rabbits and chickens.  Chickens were vetoed by my lovely wife, so rabbits are the current topic of negotiation.  The hang-ups:  either my lovely wife or beautiful child becoming attached to dinner.  When “the rabbit” is referred to as “a bunny” or, worse, “my bunny”, or, worse still, “Fluffy”, it makes it exceptionally hard to lop off its head, strip off its fur, take out its guts, and pop it in the freezer or a stew pot.

Needless to say, negotiations are ongoing.

Ok, enough already

Ok, I’ve decided that I’ll probably sign up for the Houston marathon.  Here’s the thing…

 

The week before the marathon is a very important part of the preparation period.  No doubt.  However, if the last week before a marathon is the make-or-break period of your training, which is to say that you finally become READY in that last week, then you’re doomed.  The way I see it, there’s a 6 month process of preparation that transforms a runner into someone who is both physically and mentally prepared for running 26.2 miles.  If that preparation is done wrong, no amount of work in that last week will get you there.  Sure, there may be some last minute stuff, but it should be in support of the work already done.

Something like the difference between cramming for a test, and being prepared for a test.

 

I think I can do both the training AND the trip, AND run the marathon.

And if I can’t, it’ll be money sent for a good cause and I’ll just run the next marathon on the schedule.

 

***

Governor Palin, dear heart, hot Alaskan mom, moose hunter extraordinaire, please shut the hell up.  You’re not making it easier for yourself or your party.

 

Yes, the media was gunning for you on day 1 because you dared to be pretty and conservative when everyone who’s pretty should be liberal (lest they be demonized by the media).  It didn’t help that you brought a small-town mentality to a big-city stage.  Not that there’s anything wrong with a small-town mentality. 

 

It works just fine for yourself and your community.  And, yes, Alaska may be the largest state in the union, but population wise, it’s a small town.  The challenges of the folks in southern Alaska aren’t too different from the challenges of the folks in central Alaska.  So, too, are the people.  It’s a pretty homogeneous population up there on top of the country.

 

But when you’re going to be expected to advise policy decisions for the whole country, that has disparate populations like those in Miami and Kansas City and Honolulu and New York City and Cut ‘n Shoot (in Texas, population of about 500) and Los Angeles and Dallas and everywhere else, where challenges and concerns and backgrounds and values are different, small-town mentality doesn’t quite work.  “We are all just folks” works just fine in Alaska.  In my neighborhood it works fine, too.  In fact, when New Orleans came to Houston, it worked just fine for awhile.  But when you get to specific folks with specific needs, “we’re all just folks” doesn’t work quite so well. 

 

Yes, I believe there is still such a thing as “universal American values” and “universal American mentality”, but the days when the small town values and small town mindset were synonymous with those are long gone.  In my small town, I don’t always have to remember to lock my door.  That’s very different from someone who cannot go out alone at night due to pervasive urban violence.  Please, before you keep talking and insisting that David Letterman owes every little tramp in America an apology, just think a little bigger.  I’m just sick and tired of seeing you on my news being a hot bitch.