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May 31 Marathon Countdown: T-3 DaysO.K., today is travel day. In about 5 hours I'll get on a plane bound for L.A. If anybody doubted my paternity this should confirm it better than DNA: My mother would have been packed for this trip last week. My father would start packing about 3 hours from now. I'm typing this post instead of finishing my packing.
 QED.So the list...
Well...I guess I'd better get back to packing. First today's questions and acknowledgements:
O.K., to packing I go. I'll post more tomorrow. -B- May 30 Thanks - whomever you are...Just a quick note of thanks. This morning I got a UPS package from Art.com containing a nice framed poster of the Space Needle. Unfortunately it didn't identify who sent it -- while I think I have it narrowed down to one of two or three people let me just say (to whomever you are) thanks. The poster and frame are very nice.
Best wishes and aloha,
-B- Marathon Countdown: T-4 DaysWent for a short run this morning - I'm tapering so nothing longer than an easy 3 miles at this point. Frankly if I'm not ready to run marathon now, I'm not going to suddenly get ready in the next 96 hours. It was important to get out on the road this morning though, my brand new New Balance 817s finally came in and I needed to get a couple of miles on them before Marathon.
Rule #4: NEVER do anything for the first time on race day!
The new shoes definitely need a little break-in. They feel very slightly narrower than the old ones and will take a bit to stretch out. Speaking of "stretching" I've relaced my shoes with stretchy shoelaces which has two advantages:
Generally speaking I'm feeling pretty good. To some extent I'm focusing on running very efficiently. I have a "knee-thing" and a "groin thing" and a "hip thing" and the combination of them forces me into a very efficient running form otherwise I have pain. So during the race some of my focus will be on maintaining an efficient form. Thanks to all of you who've expressed support. Let me acknowledge one or two more and answer a question or two...
That's enough for now...more to come. -B- May 29 Marathon Week...Well, it's marathon week for me. Some of you know that on Sunday I'll be running the San Diego Marathon. I'm going to try and post about it during the week and after the race so here's the first of it...
My schedule for the week is pretty simple:
I'm sure I'll have a lot in my head and heart during this race. It's been an interesting (to say the least) year for me. I'm not going to post all about it here -- some of you already know a lot about it. I do want to say though:
More to come... -B- May 19 Sounds of the CityMy neighborhood is a little noisy tonight.
Somewhere behind me Hawaiian music is being played at rock concert levels. I walked into one of my spare bedrooms at the back of the house and I could hear the music at a volume that sounded like a radio in the room had been turned on even though I have all of the windows closed tight. In fact, I walked in there wondering if perhaps a radio alarm clock had gone off for some reason and was blasting Hawaiian music.
On the street out front a child has spent the last 8 minutes screaming bloody murder as if he had just lost most of a lower extremity to a giant carnivorous reptile. Looking out the front window the kids are playing and there is no indication of why this particular little creature thinks he needs to screech like that.
If you'll excuse me I need to go sit in one of the back rooms of my house for a while. Otherwise in 3 minutes I'll have to go out front and finish the job the imaginary alligator began.
-B- May 15 Jet LagI usually adjust to time zones pretty well - "jet lag" is rarely a problem for me. I haven't really had it much on this trip either -- maybe it's the adrenaline of speaking in front of a group, or the excitement of seeing a new place, but I've been generally pretty functional.
Now, however, it's just after midnight and I'm awake (for the moment) even though I really should be sleeping. I have a 3AM wake-up call because our car to the airport is coming for us at 0400. It'll be a LONG day of travel; we leave at 0630 and I get home around 9 o'clock at night. At first glance that doesn't sound so bad -- 13 hours of travel? But I also gain about 12 hours of time zone on the trip...so really it's about 25 hours of travel.
From here we fly to Amsterdam, then catch a flight to Atlanta. There is something oddly comforting about returning to U.S. soil, but on our last trip my perception was that the Atlanta to Amsterdam flight was a REALLY long flight. I'm not dreading it, exactly, but I will be glad when it's over. Of course, when it's over I have to get on another plane for a non-stop flight from Atlanta to Honolulu -- another really long flight.
My iPod is fully charged and contains a good selection of music and podcasts. I have three books with me (plus one I finished yesterday), plenty of work to do and maybe some sleep to catch up on. Hopefully the flights will be smooth and time will pass quickly.
It's been a good trip, the presentations have gone well (I think) and I've really enjoyed seeing the city. Now I'm ready to go home.
-B- May 13 Need Vacation Ideas?One of the things that has struck me in the last couple of hours watching CNN here in Europe while fine-tuning my presentation slide decks is the number of commercials for places that we never see in the U.S. Very elaborate, professionally produced ads trying to lure European tourists to visit Gambia, Cyprus and Azerbijan. A very musical and slickly produced piece advertising Iraqna (phone services) surprises. These are very high-production value pieces, as professional as anything I've seen in the U.S.
The subject matter is just unexpected.
-B- May 06 Hilo has......a fancy new waiting area at the airport.
...a very high ratio of blue houses to residents.
...a "peach impediment."
 ...feast or famine parking at the Hilo Hawaiian. Twice we got a spot right in front. Once we made 5 laps of the parking before settling for a spot that was probably illegal right in front of the maintance loading dock.
...Ken's House of Pancakes. Open 24 hours and yes, it's that good.
...close to nothing happening downtown on Sunday. I've heard of rolling up the sidewalks -- these folks fold them neatly and send them to the dry cleaner's on Sunday.
..."Didn't that bridge used to be bigger? Maybe it shrank!"
...Big Island Candies. I'm warming up to the chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies (but Chocolate Chip are still my favorite).
..."It's a waterfall. How is it different from the last 3? The water falls sideways!"
...Cafe Pesto and the yummy Crustinos appetizer and Smoked Ham sandwich.
...a whole lot of shops selling jade and very nice chopsticks.
..."O.K., that's a house. No, wait, it's a dentist's office. THAT'S a house. No, wait, it's a insurance agency. THAT'S a house, no wait it's a Chiropractor. THAT'S a house, no wait...oh, yeah, it's a house."
-B-
May 02 Antidepressants and SuicideI don't mean to minimize a serious issue but doesn't it seem obvious that people taking antidepressants are more likely to commit suicide? Isn't that like saying that people who use Nicoderm are more likely to smoke?
How can we tell that it's the antidepressants that cause the suicidal behavior and not just the underlying depression?
-B- |
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(I actually am experiencing a little "lower leg discomfort" in my right leg, but I'm trying not to acknowledge it). By the way, thanks for the airport transport and taking care of the house while I'm away.
(and please come home safely)
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