Canadian Trucker Limerick

 

goldennews

In Ottawa streets walk brutes,

Quite proud of their nice jackboots,

But while they high-five,

Their wives do connive,

With truckers in carnal pursuits.

Running Book Crosses Finish Line

 

dreamstime.com

At 1:38 PM Pacific Time this fine day I completed the first draft of my marathon book. It falls into the novella category, running 108 pages and almost 40k words. That will change as I slim it down, augment with an appendix explaining various running terms and techniques, and craft front and back matter.

But for all that, the research was assembled and the text written in around three months. That could just be a new record for me. 

So I'll let the book simmer while my subconscious sorts out matters of narrative and style. 

More soon.

Pfizer Rocks!

 Ryan Long sings the praises of a key big phrarma player. 

Ryan Long

Running Book Speeding to Release

And not just any book: mine. Hoping to have an ebook version up by March 25. It's a short, snappy read about my 13-year journey to once more run a marathon. 

Be careful what you wish for.

dreamstime.com

Time for Soylent Green

Watch your diet.

filmonpaper

So Long, PJ O'Rourke

 

Huffington Post

A funny guy, keen wit; I recall him from the old National Lampoon Magazine and Rolling Stone. Rest in humorous pieces.

A Pressing Question re. Trans Men

 Comic Ryan Long explores the fairness of trans men entering female contests.

Ryan Long

A Thought for February 8

 

I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man wearing Crocs.

— Ling Carter

A Thought for February 5

 

Live Science

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

 - Albert Einstein

Prostate Cancer Real Talk: Episode 9

 Don't wait until it's too late. Early testing for prostate cancer is a game-changer.

Prostate Cancer: Real Talk

Racist Carrot: Morning Oddness From Salvatore Ganacci

Language warnings for this insight into a surreal corporate world.

Salvatore Ganacci

A Thought for January 31

 

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.

— Stephen Vincent Benet

White Gentrification Fail

Rylan Long shows how realtors can help stop the yogaizing of neighborhoods. 

Ryan Long

Why I Fail at Setting Goals

Cleaning out some old papers, I found my writing goals for 2013. Intense, detailed, with follow-ups. Yet by year's end I'd accomplished only a tiny fraction. Joseph Tan explains why.

Joseph Tan

MCRD 50 Years Later

 

USMC League

MCRD San Diego Back in the Day

Everything must begin somewhere. And in the United States Marine Corps, my enlisted tour commenced with yellow footprints. Drawn on the asphalt of the recruit depot with heels close together and toes angled out to 45 degrees, they are where I, along with seven other guys from our suburban Chicago neighborhood, stood to begin military service. Then we marched somewhere, boxed up our clothes and mailed them home, coming to the realization that our new life would be different from drinking beer behind a bowling alley.

The Vietnam War was winding down, at least for the United States, though the North Vietnamese would launch a huge attack against South Vietnam toward the end of March as we conducted infantry training at Camp Pendlelton. (In September, now a Private First Class, I would find myself in an Army hospital called Camp Kue on Okinawa, sharing  a ward with American advisors who'd been wounded helping the South Vietnamese forces stop the communists.)

In 1991, I visited the footprints on a vacation to San Diego with my girlfriend. (Now My Fine Wife or MFW.)

In 2002, I stood on a hill in Vietnam called Con Thien with a Vietnamese guide who told me about the obliteration of his village by B52s, bombing the NVA advance.

In 2008, I was back at MCRD finishing up a marathon with Team in Training.

But on a Friday night, January 14, 1972, I stood on yellow footprints. Oh, right before we boxed up our clothes, this happened:
(The following scene is rather accurate, except there's no C&W music. Just buzzzzzzz.)

h/t: amp1776

Note 2020:

On this 48th anniversary of my enlistment, I pay my respects to Tom Poto and Steve Lovell, two of my comrades who are no longer with us. RIP, bros. Hard to believe we were once young together.

Note: 2021

Yikes! 49 years ago; one removed from a half-century. I'll write no more on the subject.

Note: 2022

NOW 50 years have passed. I remember being hung over with a shaving cut on my right cheek that bled most of the day. Grisly forshadowing. Ah, well. 
    

Prostate Cancer: Real Talk Episode 8

 Listen to how prostate cancer survivor Jim Schraidt battled from suicidal depression to helping other survivors deal with anger and other mental health issues.   

Prostate Cancer: Real Talk

Notes on Running Goals

womenwholifeweights.com

Busy this morning with my 2021 running recap. Last January, I totaled up my 2020 stats—ran 363 miles, etc,—then totaled the mileage on my various running shoes,* then wrote seven goals for 2021. Here they are:

1. Run consistently with excellent form. 
2. Increase cadence to 170.
3. Postpone Mesa 10k
4. Lose 30 pounds
5. Run a 10k by July
6. Run 10 miles by December
7. Use info in old running log

How did I do?

1. In 2021 I ran 623 miles. I only slacked off post-marathon and due to recent illness. My form—chi running form—wavered in its excellence. As I entered double-digit miles, I would lose focus, run sloppy, and tire myself out. More attention on form this year.
2. By September my feet were hitting the ground 170 times a minute. (I measure with a metronome.) Jogtunes explains why cadence matters to runners.
3. Race officials canceled the 10k because of COVID. I only had to call and cancel my hotel reservation.
4. By marathon week I weighed 220 pounds, down from the 250s in January. 
5. Missed July, but ran a 10k in September. (First since April 2008.)
6. On August 17 I reached the Elmer Smith Bridge, slapped the metal sign, and returned to my starting point at Lot K for another first. 
7. Rattled by the rumbling approach of the marathon, I would leaf through my old notes in an emergency. But just because the info is old doesn't necessarily mean its dated. I've got plenty of data and training tips from my TNT days. All hard-earned. I need to take better advantage of that.

Nothing in 2022?

Stlll calculating as well as checking the calendar. Since I'm already on record as stating I wanted to break 30 minutes in the 5k, consider that goal number one. Goal number two will be to break 5 hours in a marathon. (4:59:59 if you please.) That's a pace of 11:27 a mile. All I need now is select the marathon and work backwards, charting out my training weeks. (Then train properly and not get injured.😎) Let's say five more running goals will be forthcoming.

God willing, I'll update in early 2023.

prischew.com

Now, I need to show the same goal-setting dedication with my writing.

*Like cheap tires, the cushioning of running shoes wears thin after several hundred miles. And, like tires, its best to rotate your shoes during training. Replace as needed. (Or when you can afford a new pair.)

Happy 2022!

 

poetryclub.com

Go joyfully forth in this newest of years. 

On the Eve of a New Year

 

writemag.com

Always a good resolution for writers. I do my share of time-wasting. My problem historically isn't the inability to write. It's lack of finishing power. I'll certainly publish my marathon book, but it's all the tales in the dug out that cry for completion. I shall heed their call in the upcoming year.

Best to you and your dreams in 2022.

Update: Click on the link below the above image and read Nicki Porter's tips on how organizing your time will help you bag those dreams.

Memories Hurt

theconversation.com

Writing a non-fiction ebook about my long journey to once again run a marathon. Fascinating trying to remember back. Time obscures much. I have this blog and my running logs but there's big gaps in other areas as I try to reconstruct the years without boring the crap out of readers. Basically my life revolved around no money, no work, trying to run, and fascinating medical complications. 

I'm depressed just recalling it all. 

Good progress overall. Probably less than a hundred pages. I'm looking to launch early next year.  

Eternal Cold

findatopdoc.com

 This one won't be shaken. I'm into my second week now of sniffling and sneezing. My wife's COVID test returned negative. That means I'm also negative since California is a community property state and we share everything, including pandemic viruses. It's the law.

My main issue is not being able to sleep. Since I have sleep apnea and use a cpap machine to push air into my nostrils, a head cold negates the machine's best effort and I wake up tired, with a dry mouth and a headache just like I did for most of my life.

Not so runny today and I'd like to think it's a sign of better days ahead.

Feel free to think the same thing.

Left and Right Wing Sponsors

 Check out the money behind the message courtesy of comic Ryan Long.

Ryan Long

Chicago Marathon 2007: Too Hot to Handle

Working on my ebook re. a 13-year journey to run a marathon. I happened across this clip from the 2007 Chicago Marathon. A true rendering of events. For the 8:00 AM start, the temperature was 88 degrees with 80 percent humidity. Naturally, the event ran out of water for the runners. Here's my race report chronicling this back-in-the-day sultry event. 

wendysity1

Merry Christmas 2021

wallpaper.com

Seasons greetings to all. Our household is ill this fine Christmas day, but mending rapidly. Best to you and yours on this special day. 

Large Stinking Winter Storm

 

Patabook News

Oh, what a merry time to write. The heating bill is paid, the roof doesn't leak, and we have glass in our windows. In addition, our supply of coffee is ample. Under such conditions, working on my marathon book is a delight. 

What if I lived in Seattle? Under such conditions, I'd be familiar with rainy weather and spend the time web surfing. A pleasant Christmas eve to one and all.

5k Training and Golf Balls

 

ebay

My next goal is to build up speed. I'd like to run 3.1 miles in under 30 minutes as if it were 2010. So striders and other forms of quickness-building exercises join my training regimen. 

I've been stretching out in a new location within sight of the Wilson-Harding Golf Course. It is absolutely golf ball heaven. On Monday I collected seven—a new record. Do I golf? No. Do I give them to golfers? Sometimes. Do I throw them at rude drivers? Not yet. 

There's a site online that offers seventy cents a ball. This could be a nice cottage industry to supplement my golden years. A Merry Christmas to all!   

clipartbest

Motorcyclist Identifies as Bicyclist

 Deep inside, he knew his true identity.

The Babylon Bee

Paul Rugg and Lucky Aid the Elderly

 Lucky the Therapy Dog has passed but his memory remains among the old.

Paul Rugg's Froynlaven

Paul Rugg and I are Hired at Warner Bros. v. 5

And I Have the Memories to Prove It

Today, December 16, marked 27 years since Paul Rugg and I were offered jobs at Warner Brothers TV Animation. We were over at Paul's house watching Zontar: Thing From Venus, drinking coffee, eating chocolate donuts, and smoking. We'd just turned in scripts for some new show called Animaniacs. (Mine was "Draculee, Draculaa.") Paul's wife was off earning money as a social worker, while my future wife was still employed at the magazine I'd quit two months earlier. Rugg and I were performing improv and sketch comedy at the Acme Comedy Theatre. (Along with cast member Adam Carolla.) Money was very tight. The payment for one script would really help out my Christmas. 

Then Kathy Page, Tom Ruegger's assistant, called to offer us staff jobs and the trajectory of our lives veered sharply into an unexplored cosmos.

We were amazed, stunned, numb. Walking outside, we smoked more and talked it over. Should we take the jobs or would they pollute our comedy pureness by turning it commercial? We would accept the work immediately. 

Now it all seems opaque. If it weren't for the Web and talking to Paul Rugg yesterday, I'd swear the whole experience never happened. But I'm glad it did. (Paul, too.)  So thanks to Tom and Sherri Stoner. (And her husband, M.D. Sweeney, our Acme director, who recommended us.)

Note: After thirteen years of blogging, I'm running out of life events to chronicle.

Notes: 2019

A little hyperbole last year. I have plenty of life events and more on the way. Now then, Paul's episode was about a pet shop, I believe. In 1991 I wrote on a Mac Classic. (They look so quaint now, like a fancy radio from 1938.) Jeffrey Dahmer, Silence of the Lambs, Thelma and Louise, the unraveling of the Soviet Union and the number of computers on the newly commercialized Web reached one million.

Not mine, but similar.

Notes: 2020

What a year! (Wednesday will be 29 years, but close enough.) Pandemics, riots, politics. It's like 1968 on crystal meth. What's new? Well. You can now obtain the Top 5 Dating Tips of H.P. Lovecraft. Yes, that weird horror guy. For details, go to this nifty spot. 

Notes: 2021

NOW it's 30 years. After three decades, events merge together into a clot of time. But I'll never forget that day. A life-changer. 

Book Review: Paths of Glory

 

Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Author Humphrey Cobb knew his subject matter. Wounded while serving with the Canadian Army in World War I, his tale of a vain general, a failed attack, an unjust trial and the fate of three soldiers was compelling enough for filmmaker Stanley Kubrick to adapt into his classic film Paths of Glory.

Fast and compelling, Cobb's book captures the brutality and carnage of the Western Front as well as the army's indifference and passive obedience that allows the perpetuation of a cruel injustice.

Under three hundred pages, the book is told from multiple points of view, with grim details of trench warfare and the doomed outlook of the soldiers underscoring a dark tale of military injustice and the reduction of men to chips in a vast rigged game.

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Afghanistan Papers

 

The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It seems everyone in the government wants to chat about their work as long as they aren't on the record. Thanks to a pair of lawsuits by the Washington Post we now have insight into 0fficial thinking by politicians, generals, and assorted bureaucrats on America's longest conflict. It is maddening.

Former Ambassador Richard Boucher: "First we went in to get al-Qaida and to get al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan . . .we did that. The Taliban was shooting back at us so we started shooting at them . . . . Ultimately, we kept expanding the mission."

Army General Dan McNeil "quickly judged that the United States and NATO didn't have a coherent war strategy."

"U.S. and NATO officials belatedly recognized that drug-related corruption was . . . threatening to turn Afghanistan into . . . a 'narco-state.'"

[General} McKiernan had violated an unspoken rule . . . he did not deceive the public with specious language . . ."

McKiernan was fired in 2009 for telling the truth and the lesson was not lost on later generals. Happy talk or face retirement.

And on it goes. Two generations of government officials lied and dissembled. And only McKiernan lost his job. (General McCrystal was fired for making fun of civilian officials such as Joe Biden.)

Author Whitlock published the book before the chaos of our departure. He mentions President Biden visiting Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60, where the dead of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. ". . . he [the President] gazed into the distance, surveying row upon row of white marble gravestones. 'Hard to believe," he murmured. 'Look at them all.'"

A little later he added thirteen more.

View all my reviews

FakeMask USA

 Unfogged Glasses?

Yes, indeed. Thanks to FakeMask USA you can purchase a mesh mask allowing one to wear spectacles, see clearly, and conform to various pandemic theatre mandates. I eagerly await this fine product.

Greta Climate Scold Doll

 Order now while supplies last!

The Babylon Bee

Prostate Cancer Real Talk Episode 7

 Cancer survivor and support leader Clarence Williamson discusses the importance of regular check-ups and the value of men helping other men in their fight against this wide-spread disease.

Prostate Cancer Real Talk

Pearl Harbor at Eighty

UPDATE: Eight decades later, the memory endures.

Despite Lend-Lease, America's first peacetime draft, and the sinking of the Reuben James, a majority of Americans were against entering the strife in Europe—again. Until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Four days later, Hitler declared war on the U.S., backing up his Japanese ally. And suddenly the United States found itself marinating in World War II. 

And for all the subsequent conflicts this country has known, the Second World War was the last one that saw Congress issue a formal declaration of war. 

Below are a few thoughts from the Silver Anniversary.

History

Before 9/11 There Was 12/07

I don't want to say "Happy Anniversary" because it wasn't a very happy day 75 years ago. Over 2,000 American servicemen and civilians died during Japan's surprise attack on our Pearl Harbor naval and air facilities. If I may wax historical, two things really saved the U.S.:

A. Our aircraft carriers were out at sea.

B. The Japanese didn't bomb the Navy's fuel tanks because the smoke would obscure their bombing and torpedo runs on our battleships. 

Without aircraft carriers, it's likely there would've been no Coral Sea and the Japanese would have successfully invaded southern New Guinea and cut off all supplies to Australia.

Minus Hawaiian Island fuel, American warships would've needed to top off back in the continental United States and the Pacific War might've drug on long enough to get my father killed, hence eliminating my Dec. 7 blog posts decades before they began. 

Here's a sample post from 2007:

"A day of infamy," said President Franklin Roosevelt about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. (On a documentary, a surviving sailor recalled his reaction less poetically: "Holy smokes! Those are Japs! This is the real McCoy!") Reams have been written about what FDR knew and when he knew it. As the United States had broken the Japanese diplomatic code, there was speculation that the president deliberately withheld knowledge of impending attack from the military so as to use the bombing as an excuse to enter World War II.


Also check out:

Time and Mrs. Murphy from 2008

Not Everyone Mourned from 2009.

Famous People Born on My Birthday v.7

 THIS POST AGAIN?

Well, it is my birthday, after all. And for your information my inbox was stuffed this morning with four birthday wishes:

A. My cousin Jim.

B. Southern California Aquatics swimming club.

C. The eye institute that cleared up my cataracts.

D. A digestive health center that I must have visited at one time.

Has much changed since last year? Yes, as a matter of fact. After 13 years of injuries, operations, and illnesses, including two varieties of cancer, I completed a marathon. I'm in the process or writing a short book detailing my journey as well as a trio of horror/thriller eBooks. Each of the three stands alone. All feature characters confronted with life-threatening decisions courtesy of a sinister entity called the Bureau of Different Science. I've hit upon a new outlining method and am looking forward to the results. Hopefully, readers will feel the same. 

These people were also born on December 5th. Mostly giddy-looking young people; how many have you heard of? Here's a more mature list. Enjoy productive lives!

Thank you very much to all who have, so far, wished me Happy Birthday. In thinking of this day, I am reminded of several famous Americans who share my date of birth. I will list three and examine their accomplishments as compared to mine.

1. Martin Van Buren - b. Dec. 5, 1782

2. George Armstrong Custer - b. Dec. 5, 1839

3. Walt Disney - b. Dec. 5, 1901

4. John P. McCann - b. Dec. 5, 1952

1. Martin Van Buren succeeded greatly in becoming the 8th President of the United States but was hardly remembered even in his own day. He had a large bull frog stuffed and used as an ink well in the White House. However President Taft later sat on it by accident and they had to throw the thing out. That's about it.

2. George Armstrong Custer succeeded greatly as a soldier in the Civil War but had a mixed record fighting Indians. (1-1-2, I think.) He is best remembered for his  spectacular fail at the Battle of the  Little Big Horn. At first, everything was going well; then it all fell apart under an Indian tsunami. In later years, Custer had a park named after him as well as a monument and a movie where his part was played by Errol Flynn. That's a whole lot more than Van Buren ever got.

3. Walt Disney succeeded greatly in animation, a pioneer in the field, creator of iconic characters—but not the word 'iconic' which has been seized upon by junior execs.—established Disney studios and Disneyland and is fondly remembered to this day. Nonetheless his body is frozen in a vault beneath Disney's Burbank lot and should Walt be reanimated and start making decisions again it could effect his legacy.

4. John P. McCann was greatly successful as a Hollywood atmosphere player. McCann was the ship-board stand-in for a Canadian actor portraying Errol Flynn in My Wicked, Wicked Ways. In addition, he is visible catching Dennis Quaid's jacket at around 1:19 in a clip from  Great Balls of Fire.
More successful in animation, McCann created the non-iconic character of The Huntsman. For the next fifteen years, he piggy-backed onto as many successful shows as his friends would allow. While the record is still being written, outsiders agree that McCann will be remembered by Bank of America and several other creditors who might reasonably feel aggrieved should he pass from the scene within the next several months.

Images: whitehouse.gov, Parcbench, fold3

Exorcism for Atheists

 FRESH SPOILERS! BIG AND MOIST

The Netflix version of The Exorcist released in 2016 or thereabouts. I just got around to seeing several episodes. I quit watching at episode seven of the first season. I no longer knew what the rules of the world were and wasn't engaged enough to view more and see if any explanations were forthcoming.

The filmmakers decided to reimagine the original film and toy with the exorcism rules as laid down by Canon Law. The story takes liberties with the rite of exorcism as laid out by the Roman Ritual. For instance, the Church ordains that the exorcist must be:

"A priest — one who is expressly and particularly authorized by the Ordinary — when he intends to perform an exorcism over persons tormented by the devil, must be properly distinguished for his piety, prudence, and integrity of life. He should fulfill this devout undertaking in all constancy and humility, being utterly immune to any striving for human aggrandizement, and relying, not on his own, but on the divine power. Moreover, he ought to be of mature years, and revered not alone for his office but for his moral qualities."

—Catholics Online

In the Netflix series, the two exorcist priests consist of a gay, defrocked and excommunicated priest and another priest who leaves an exorcism to go bang his hot girlfriend. 

Gay priest could care less whether the Church approves of his conducting exorcisms. Girlfriend priest does but is turned down by his bishop. He conducts an exorcism anyway. 

It's pointed out in Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans: "Unlike a sacrament, exorcism's "integrity and efficacy do not depend ... on the rigid use of an unchanging formula or on the ordered sequence of prescribed actions. Its efficacy depends on two elements: authorization from valid and licit Church authorities, and the faith of the exorcist."

At least as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, any exorcism performed absent Church approval is doomed and the well-being of the exorcist in jeopardy.

According to the United Stated Conference of Catholic Bishops the lay faithful "are not to recite any prayers reserved to the exorcists, not only because the prayers are reserved to those ordained to act in the person of Christ the Head (in persona Christi wapitis), but also to protect the faithful from possible spiritual harm."

Fortunately for our two Netflix priests, the demon they are attempting to expel is a gentlemen. When the exorcism moves to a priory, the well-bred demon refrains from shouting out the sins of priest and former priest in front of the assisting nuns. Their clerical failings are in no way held against them by the possessing spirit.

What's the point of all this?

I only wish to mention that the original Exorcist managed to present a tight, scary was ilm and still draw within the lines of the Catholic faith and the rite of exorcism. All the above items were available to me with a few search engine clicks. Hence, they were available to the filmmakers.

Who didn't care.

Possibly because the intended audience wouldn't care, most knowing nothing positive of religion and zero of exorcisms beyond their use as an entertainment trope.

There were nice touches in the series. The handling of the demon was clever and the actor playing it skilled in threading a line between sinister and seedy.

But overall it was a Marvel movie with the priests as god-like beings disdaining morality and holy rites in their narcissistic quest to render help as they saw it.

Autom

In the end, the woke story beats proved too overwhelming. 

They turned what could have been an intriguing tale into more-of-the-same.

 

From Marathon to Couch Potato (And Back)

 

Coming Soon!

My 13-year-saga to complete a marathon. If you read this blog—perhaps one person does regularly—then you know my story.  But for the benefit of distance runners and the general public I am chronicling my fall and rise from a man training to qualify for the Boston Marathon to a broken specimen informed that he will never run again to man in his late-60s training for 26.2.

Out by Christmas in non-fiction ebook form? We shall see. I'll know more after I finish collating years worth of notes. 

The question arises: who cares? Could be most people. But I'm hoping anyone facing long odds will find hope in this brief tale. 

Surfers Point Marathon Retrospective

getwallpapers.com

 Hindsight is 20/20, Fella

Yes, yes, but it's invaluable when assessing a race. First off, I'm jazzed to have:

A. Finished.

B. Finished ahead of my goal time. (5:30 or five hours and thirty minutes.)

C. Finished eight minutes ahead of my goal time. (5:22:49)

A set time helped me focus and not just in training. Without one I'd have settled for "just finish the wretched thing." (In the later miles, that temptation paced in the back of my mind, then settled in by the fire for miles 21 to 24.) Or else the more diabolically commercial "just finish the wretched thing and write a little book."

Loop Courses Have Issues 

Which is saying I have issues with loop courses. I didn't before. But then I'd never run one for a marathon. Every pleasing downhill grade must be run uphill twice. In the case of Surfers Point, the longest uphill grades were on the return trip. It was psychological. I kept thinking, 'I've got to do this again."

For slower runners such as myself, everyone passes you more than once. With multiple races and a wave start, runners from the half-marathon zipped by. Fast 10kers showed me their heels. Fortunately, zero 5kers left me in the dust. This constant passing triggers a hurry-up gene often experienced while driving. You must concentrate to suppress it and remain on pace.

watchfit.com

On the Subject of Pace

 I went out too fast. I knew I went out too fast. Prior marathon experience taught me I couldn't "bankroll" fast miles early for slow miles later. I'd risk bonking, missing my goal time, shuffling across the finish line, an abject example for the young. Yet I did it anyway. My half-marathon time was 2:33 instead of 2:45. During the latter miles of the race I felt myself grinding to a halt like a car running out of fuel. The virtue of patience should be exercised in the marathon's first half, then assess. 

Training Woes 

All self-inflicted. I didn't run enough days during the week. My cross-training fell away. My chi running form decayed at longer miles and I addressed the matter haphazardly. I didn't include enough pace miles in my long runs. And I neglected to generate enough faster miles in the form of tempo runs or track sessions. 

Nothing above detracts from my warm feelings. But should I attempt another marathon—unclear today—all these points would be addressed.

And I am writing a little book on my 13-year quest to complete 26.2. 

nicepng

Prostate Cancer Real Talk Speaks

Men, Get Prostate Cancer Testing! 

El and Shay lay out the facts about prostate cancer. Hear from El's surgeon Dr. Kundu and learn more about one of the biggest killers of men.

Prostate Cancer Real Talk

Nam Killed Kurt Over Time v.3

Photo: Life Magazine. Kurt's unit patrolled these hills. (Mutter's Ridge and the Rock Pile.) 

Some veterans die in battle while others return home to perish on the installment plan. My friend Kurt passed away in 2003 from liver cancer. He went quick, maybe a hundred days. The cancer was partially brought about by PTSD-inspired drinking coupled with hepatitis from a bad blood transfusion he underwent in Vietnam. Kurt could have skated on that particular war, but extended his enlistment in order to fight. Serving in Marine Recon, he won a Navy Commendation medal for helping his unit battle clear of an ambush.

Several Purple Hearts later, Kurt joined an ultra-secret outfit that probed the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. Hacked out of the jungle, the Trail was a highway for the North Vietnamese to funnel men and supplies into South Vietnam and Cambodia. Because of our odd political posturing, Laos was officially off-limits to U.S. ground forces. That meant Kurt and his unofficial comrades were forced to ditch the bodies of their dead. The fallen would be listed as "Missing in Action in South Vietnam." It always bothered Kurt that families would be denied the closure of burial—or the recognition of bravery from a schizophrenic government.

A good portion of Kurt's post-war years were spent in alcohol and drug-fueled rage and self-destruction. In time, he made peace with his past. Little by-little, Kurt cut a trail over to serenity from which he rarely strayed. Despite a Master's Degree in electronics, he took a job driving a truck and fixing vending machines. (Kurt worked well unsupervised.) Getting married, buying a home, his last ten years were good ones.

I was a pallbearer at Kurt's funeral. He received a Marine Corps color guard, taps, and a view of the 2 Freeway stretching below in the distance, flowing past Forest Lawn Cemetery on its way to Eagle Rock. (Transportation played a big role in his life.) I recall Kurt when I drive past and often wish he could call down artillery on erratic drivers.

This Veteran's Day Kurt came to mind. And while he's at peace, I send prayers and best wishes to those still struggling with the silent baggage of war.

Happy Veteran's Day to all who served.

(This is a 2014 repost from Veteran's Day 2010 reposted once more in 2021.)

Google Doodle Veterans Day Joke

I'm guessing that reducing the sacrifice of many to a mawkish ideological poster is a jest of some sort. In truth, I'd be surprised if anyone in Google served in the military. Hence, they would know zero about the importance of unit cohesion. Somehow I don't feel honored by this. 

Happy B-Day to the Marine Corps

Update: Ten years have passed since this post. Make it 246 years etc. Each year on this date—circumstances permitting—units will have a cake. The birthday cake is cut by the unit's oldest and youngest Marines, signifying that the Corps continues on.

236 years of shooting people and breaking stuff on behalf of the United States of America. In 1950 10,000 men of the First Marine Division were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Below is a trailer for a 2010 documentary detailing the Marines' fight to break free. An amazing tribute to amazing men.

 

I Finish a Marathon After 13 Years

My Finishing Time

As Winston Churchill once said: "If you're going through Hell, keep going." Achieved my goal of finishing in a certain time. That helped keep me going several times. Training is over for awhile. What ever shall I do now with all my extra time?
 

Obligatory Pre-Marathon Gear-on-the-Bed Shot

Not Really His Bed—A Fold-Out in a Back Room

Well, now it's serious. We leave tomorrow morning for our drive to the coast. Then its pick-up my gear pack including race number, check into our hotel, off to evening Mass, then a fine pasta meal. The end of Daylight Savings allows me a spare hour of sleep, but I won't. The pre-dawn hours bring with them a complicated dance wherein my wife drops me off at a shuttle bus location then goes back to sleep, then finds a parking space and walks to the finish line for my arrival around 5 hours and 30 minutes later. 

So that's it. Thirteen years have passed since I prepared to run a marathon. Pain, operations, depression, quitting running for good, stupid injuries when I didn't quit running for good, learning a complex way of covering ground that didn't stress my bad knee. It seems surreal, big. Part of me wants to stay in bed Sunday morning and not race.

But I've come this far. I want to see how it all ends.

So You Want to be Creative?

 Contains thoughts I often have on the writing life.

Better Chapter

Last Training Run

 Taper Complete for Surfers Point Marathon

That's that. Ran four miles yesterday and will run no more until Sunday's race. My emotional state has been in flux: catastrophe—glittering success. But I'm confident now. Over the intervening years I've recalled a lot about distance running, learned more about chi running, and lost a great deal of weight. (Down to 220 pounds from 260 back in January.)

The weather is slated to be sunny and mild. Ocean views throughout. It's been a long, long time, but I'm prepared to run another marathon. 

chihealth.com

Learning to Be Ineffective

 

Learning360online

Strategic Delay in Play

Here's a stunning revelation: I've gradually reached peak efficiency in teaching myself how not to finish writing projects. A recent shelf cleaning expedition uncovered a dozen first draft novels, novellas, long short stories over 5k words. Leafing through my canon I read a lot of rough but quite serviceable material. 

My pattern is to complete the first draft. Then let it simmer. Then start something new. But I never seem to return to the original draft. Plus I rarely outline, leading to me following each new shiny plot point or character so that the original tale no longer fits the new story that has metastasized into something unwieldy.

I've got hundreds and hundreds of pages, tens if thousands of words, and only a handful of completed works over the last five years. This writing malady started awhile ago, but it's really picked up steam since 2016.

The answer to more completions is not drastic: Do a simple outline. Then focus on the next word, sentence, paragraph, page, chapter. Staying locked on the process of story telling is more important than front braining a slew of new plans, approaches, and goals. 

I return now to culling my backlog. 

Old School Cops Spoof

Prehistoric parody of Cops using Star Wars Imperial Storm Troopers. Really nails the cop talk.

Alex Derevin

Outlining a Novel

 

Or a long short story. I've been experimenting with author William Miller's outline method. Designed for fast-paced action tales, this pulpish approach zips you along the writing trail as you construct your story scaffold. Having fun with the darn thing.