Remembrance of Checks Past

Twin fires burning in the Angeles National Forest gave this end of town an Icelandic look as smoke billowed over the mountains. I spent a hot afternoon in a storage facility, digging through twelve years of taxes, trying to find major repairs on our old house for us to deduct. (We always do taxes six months later. There's an important reason, but I can't recall)

In any case, it was fun and depressing to see how much money I once made. In 1999, I made a ton. In 2000, the year my contract lapsed at Warner Bros., I made another ton. In 2001, I made a half-ton, but had massive amounts saved. In '02 to '03, I was into ounces and burning through savings. Back in tonnage for '04 and early '05. From there through '06, a few pounds, growing a bit heavier in the first half of '07, then down to grams where it dwindles still. (Though my wife has worked consistently part-time for almost a year.)

An upside would be spending my mutual funds before the market crashed, thus getting full value. There were many things I enjoyed about our old home, but the constant siphoning off of cash wasn't one of them. (And the rats, rabbits, and deer. Bees have been discussed.)

Time to earn more dough, I think.

The Onion Tackles Performance-Enhancing Genies

Caught! And it's about time.

Baseball Superstar Accused of Performance-Enhancing Genie Use

KFC and Signs of the Apocalypse

I'm not sure, but this should qualify.

h/t: My only friend without a web presence, Ken.

Running News

Emil battles a 50k as he continues Running Fever '09.

Kiley and I are exchanging aqua running recipes. My turn this week to jack up the pool cardio. I see the doctor in three weeks. Hopefully, he'll cut me loose to run meagerly.

Tom and Annie Ruegger returned safely from the Emerald Isle. (That's Ireland, not a Vegas casino.) Back to vulturing for Tom.

The Face of Fear

Mandom

Tough guy Charles Bronson in a 1970 Japanese commercial for the above product. Guys, check eBay for a complete line of Mandom products. Girls, sit back and wait. (Or not. As noticed by a commenter, count the babes in this commercial. Hmmm.)

h/t: swempire via Ace of Spades

Bridal Barbecue

SGV Team in Training threw a bridal barbecue for team captain Rouman and his great-with-child wife. I paid my respects and visited with the old team. Apparently, the recession is effecting the winter season as TNT participants are choosing half-marathons over full. (Less money to raise.) Gordie dropped in, his health improving, cancer receding. He offered to run a sprint triathalon with me, once I could again run. That was sporting, as I won't be doing any of that competitively for awhile. In any case, I had a fun day, which I used as an excuse not to work on any of the stories awaiting my attention.

Wow!

This'll be different.

Happy Birthday HPL

"P.S. Shoot Dr. Allen on sight and dissolve his body in acid. Don't burn it."Such an oh-by-the-way appeared in "The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by H.P. Lovecraft. (The author, not the band.) Howard Phillips would be celebrating his 109th birthday today, the candles on his cake, no doubt, human fingers cut from the hand of a poet gone mad dreaming of great Cthulhu. For those unacquainted with his horror stories, "The Call of Cthulhu" might be a good starting - or ending - point. Lovecraft's bleak, hopeless cosmos fascinated me once. He certainly was an original. No lovestruck teenage vampires for this guy.
h/t: Moe Lane

A Rose of a Different Color

Boldly, Keeper brings to the stage the rare and difficult ragtime Fudd.

Run Down

One year ago I commenced training for the 2008 California International Marathon, a race run on a net downhill course (which usually translates into fast times) CIM was intended to be my ticket to Boston. Training lasted three weeks. Then my knee introduced other plans. Looking back in my training log, I see that Sunday, August 17 was hot and humid. I ran a very hilly 16.8 mile course with a 7x1 run/walk ratio and no run/walk for the last two miles. I finished up in 2:42:45 which is around 9:41 a mile - a bit fast for a long training run. My last two miles were 8:25 and 8:45. At physical therapy yesterday, my therapist offered to write up an evaluation of my progress before I go see the doctor again in mid-September. If all goes well, I might begin modest running in October. CIM is still on the list, but maybe for 2010 - bearing in mind that anything could happen during that time, even good things.