5Ks All Day

Emil gives the run-down on Carlsbad.

Tomorrow Bear

Dancing bear by day, crime-fighting scientist by night!
Thanks to takineko and Maz for the awesome artwork and color as I finish up the text and prepare to re-pitch this re-tooled idea. If I'd had any art this good the first time around we'd all be living large.

Black Water at Devil's Gate

The dam you see here is Devil's Gate Reservoir. Team in Training usually staffs an aid station atop the structure for longer runs up the Hahamonga Watershed, past Jet Propulsion Labs and up into the Angeles National Forest. This video shows the run-off power of January's storms, black with ash and dirt from the fire-swept areas. Running trails are off-camera but parallel to the flow. The last footage in Brookside Park is near the start point for many TNT runs. Fire and El Nino rains equal instant landscaping.

Via PhotoBoost

Go Ask Alice in Wonderland

My wife and I saw Alice in Wonderland yesterday, keeping alive our streak of only seeing films that have "aged" a few months. Pleasant and entertaining. I remember little from the original Disney version and barely anything from the books. My only quibble would be Alice's closing "mad" idea of opening markets in China. As the film was set in the Victorian era, China was already colonized by Western powers. In fact, the country was on the brink of erupting in anti-foreigner violence known as The Boxer Rebellion. Perhaps the sequel can draw on proper history, as Alice enrages the Dowanger Empress with her pert forthrightness, causing boxer Chinese to attack the Hatter and lop him to bits in a frenzy of patriotic zeal.

Or maybe more cute stuff with Tweedle dum and Tweedle dee.

Biopsy Results

Biopsy results indicated skin cancer; something called basal squamous - which sounds like the name of a cheap carnival owner. Apparently, there is danger of metastasizing so I have an operation scheduled for Thursday, April 15. This will result in an even bigger bandage on my nose. But the doc seemed positive he could snip out all the bad cells which makes me positive. (If he sobbed and apologized over the phone, I'd feel different.)

This morning I did my walk starting in pre-dawn gloom. As I now have a 40% chance of reacquiring skin cancer, I must temper my interactions with the sun. Considering how I almost blew off meeting the dermatologist, I'm feeling rather grateful today.

Trailer Park

A bad night for M.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Disney Gets a Documentary

On the animated feature division's great run from '84 to '94.
h/t: Tim O'Connor

3 Again

Walked 3 miles on Tuesday, covering that distance for the first time in almost a year. Today I commenced to see how fast a 3-mile walk could be. Clearly there's limit, as mild soreness in my knee said 'Slower, you great oaf.' I'll make one day a week the fast 3-mile-walk test, gradually dialing up the pace. At some point early this summer, I might walk a 5k. Minus pain or soreness, I hope to run a little by the end of June. But I'm a long way from sending my knee doc a marathon finish line photo.

An Offer for Earthquake Insurance!

Just arrived in the mail today.

Breaking Down

Emil finds his running limits.

Happy Easter!

Mass, then lunch today with my wife and mom-in-law, then away to assemble more animated show ideas to send out Tuesday. The producers clearly don't want Freakazoid or Pinky and the Brain or even Pepper Ann. But I will strive to build according to the ingredients I'm given.

(Photo: www.catholicbishops.ie/.../easter2007.jpg)