Blended Living

It was finally cold enough to give my new running gear a test flight.  The Asics running pants or tights were perfect in the 50 degree weather as the sun was setting.  The wind just cut through them as I headed out walking, but as I picked up the pace, they proved to be very comfortable.

The leaves were falling in Riverside and made for a slight obstacle course as I headed down the hill and didn’t want to hit a wet patch and suddenly slide.  The setting sun made for some colorful hues as the choppy Hudson waters sparkled and danced for me.  Too bad I ate too recently and couldn’t hit my stride just right.  A couple miles was all I was good for today.

Still it was nice to be out there, not inside on these darkened days and nights.  The 20 minutes was enough to raise my spirits and put in another payment on my health mortgage.  These days that end so abruptly take their toll, so I’m trying to make it a point to be outside more under the sun.  That and the full spectrum bulb over my computer take off the edge of winter.

The local diner had this movie poster for Boleyn Girl that seemed to stay in the window for months.  I guess it planted the subliminal idea to watch it.  Tudors caught my eye and I watched a couple episodes on cable.  ScarJo and Portman are certainly pleasant to look at, yet all this didn’t prepare me for nor justify this movie.

Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of watching a really good documentary without any household names produced with a scant budget.  Shot in something much less than what a modern High Def LCD can handle, the documentary stood on its merits.  Boleyn Girl on Blue Ray perhaps promised so much more and as eye candy it delivers some sweetness here and there – a vista of what the makers thought England appears like  centuries ago, a lingering shot on a curvaceous woman, the countryside with its hues.

However the movie otherwise stunk.

Which brings me to signs of when a movie just stinks.

• You start wondering how long this movie is
• don’t really care about the characters
• wonder if this sucks or you’re sick or something
• does your movie companion like this?
• how much longer is this movie?
• I’d walk out but I’m watching this at a friend’s
• you start calculating the odds of another blackout
• there is relief when she says this SUCKS
• its so bad you can’t even really shred it apart afterwards – its not worth it.

I would normally rate this on a scale to 10 bucks – but this was a no sale.  This ‘movie’ neither moves or is moving.  The rise to power story is hackneyed, the royal soap opera robotic, blind ambition characters flat, and the tragedy disinteresting.

Its November already.  As with the changing seasons, and changing periods at work and play occur, I find myself revisiting recurrent themes, like blogging again.  The spring and summer allowed a new habit of running to be fully formed, followed closely by the hectic September which hits me with the dual whammy of a crazy worklife and a frenetic homelife. 

Yet all things do come to an end, and I breathe a sigh of relief.  Its November now.  And with it I charge courageously ahead with loading WordPress and hoping that the mysterious words that appear in my head haphazardly will make it to this electronic vaporous cloud.

I’m cutting out the coffee again, and with that life change I (d)elude myself into thinking that I can be more productive- well, at least I should sleep much better most nights.   That damn free Starbucks coffee card that I found in the NY Times last spring that become the free Ice coffee card in the summer endured just long enough to push me over the edge – which is about a habit of 4 cups a day.  Anyway, 2 weeks and counting and nary a caffeine headache.

Back to the running thing: I took a break after about 4-5 months of intense training that led to a friendly 5k fun run at Columbia.  I know myself well enough after the years to put in some stop gaps to my competitiveness.  I entertained the concept of rapid improvements and killer workouts, of Tempo runs and speed intervals, of hill work and fartleks up to the “redline” of injury.  Fortunately there is a wealth of information out there about running. (a more detailed account to follow)

There’s the 10% rule, don’t increase milage or speed more than 10% week to week.  Then there was the plantar faciitus, which was my left foot telling me I was pushing just a bit too hard.   Overall, I’m happy to report that it flares up now and then but with enough stretching its manageable.  Funny that same foot is my only other major injury which was a really nasty ankle sprain trying to learn tennis serves – but that’s another story.

Finally took the Strengths Finder 2.0 test today after buying the book about 10 months ago.  Two strengths are the same and 3 of them changed- contrary to what the book said about how only one or two might change.  I’ll expand on that topic another time.

Trying to learn python, as well as perl and PHP.  I joked that I was specializing in computer languages starting with ‘P’.  Also along with getting wordpress up and running, I want to better utilize these web tools that I have online.  Might as well exploit the 10 bucks I pay a month as best I can.

Enough for now.  Next to dream about future entries.