Marathon Bomb Scare

Bomb found near the finish line of the Pittsburgh Marathon. Thankfully, no one hurt. I never had to deal with high explosives on a course, just running out of energy goo. On the walking scene, I haven't been out since last Tuesday - slight soreness in the knee. I may have overdone it, covering 4 miles at a 14:33 pace. Not wise. Longer distances should never be attempted quickly on the first try. I didn't give myself time to grow accustomed to the additional mileage. I keep forgetting that, which is part of the reason I'm walking. Reduced walking, very little gym and no swimming have led my weight to creep up again. I keep sliding back and forth over the same 10 - 15 pounds. My scale is getting sick of me. And I of my scale.

Onion Video: White House Janitorial Staff Dinner

Live Feed: Obama Attends The White House Maintenance Staff Annual Dinner
h/t/: Hot Air

Ashes to Ash...

and the Fuhrer to dust.

My Part in Art

Me and a copy of Maz artwork for a project she's working on.

Nothing Sold Today!

Darn the luck.

'Fresh Ideas' Sold!

The nice editors at Every Day Fiction have decided to publish my story "Fresh Ideas" on their flash fiction website. (Stories under 1k words.) Luckily, 'Ideas' is fiction and so I will avoid needless mortification. 'Ideas' was part of my original Ten-in-Six. A workshop project about an odd man pretending to work at work, it was rejected 3x since September. After the last rejection, I made a small change to the ending that seemed to do the trick.

I'll post when the story is up. Now back to work. My antique computer has slowed to a crawl and will no longer transport me to Google search. I think I need to add more coal to the funnel in back.

Link to Race Time Weather Woes

Alas, the weather had the final word at Emil's most recent marathon.

Puss 'N Fruit

Tom Ruegger sent along this fascinating find from the now-defunct American Pie and Cat Association.

Link to 3D Effects on Screenwriting

That is the question movie-makers are asking.

A Blister!

It's been awhile, but I developed a blister from walking. Now I'll have to use Body Glide on my feet — an act of pure nostalgia.

I've decided to take the great long story I worked on last fall and expand it into a novel of about 200 pages. That means I'm only 130 pages shy. The theme is redemption through suffering, a bit lofty sounding for a story involving a forest monster running around eating people and livestock. But I've been invited by a publisher to submit the finished product which torpedoes my excuse that no one's interested. I'm plotting out the next two sections on 3x5 cards. In the past, tapping out a detailed outline fried my brain, as if I'd already written the book. Room must be left for the subconscious to plot various twists and turns. Hopefully, I'll add final changes around Halloween, a suitable time to submit a (hopefully) scary story.

There. Well. Ha! I've said it. Halloween. Inquire often. Ask me how the story's going. Hold me to it as you would hold a great round fellow to a diet.

Cancer Skin Graft, Walking, Writing

Graft Dodger. Not really, but I liked the sound of it. My stitches stay for another week and I need to keep the nose moistened to facilitate healing. A year shall pass, said the dermatologist, before my old honker appears normal. (If it ever did.)

Walked 52 minutes this morning, speeding up at times to a brisk pace. My plan is to gradually acclimate to faster foot turn-over so my transition to running will be seamless. Walking for almost an hour 3x a week, I have to say the knee has held up well. Alas, my weight ballooned again so, with no swimming for three more weeks, I've got to eat less and get into the gym more. I feel like I've said the same thing over and over for the last 18 months.

Several potential writing projects, lean with promise, seem to have dwindled away, joining the ghosts of many others over the last decade. Perhaps there is a Project's Graveyard, similar to the Elephant's Graveyard only without big, round tombstones. One can only speculate.