Blended Living

• the twilight run in Central Park tested my focus which was not that sharp today
• like a dull ache longing for crisper times
• of a mental edge that cut through crap so well
• but I was mildly amazed at my ability to hold a serene thought and
• allow my body to work out its kinks and let
• the motor go on for a while longer than
• some days when my mind (or ego) can’t sustain the pace and it yells louder or just loud enough
• so that my legs slow down to a walk
• however tonight fueled by many runners and 64F weather and that
• fun run coming up in 36 hours was just enough to get me
• down by the lake in good time and just a couple pauses
• soon after my legs propelled me automatically and minutes later
• my left thigh seized like an engine that lost valve oil
• but just for a moment as a couple stretches and yoga like deep breathes
• flowed some necessary body ingredients to sore areas
• playing with my new toys
• I don’t doubt that neighbors are wondering if a dentist has moved in their midsts
• so I need to think about soundproofing a bit
• or relegate my craft activities to the locked bathroom until
• I do figure out something
• “easy glass etching” seems an oxymoron but it isn’t the first such title I’ve gotten out of the library
• I wonder if that cheap Ikea glass stuff is worth testing some etching on
• and I remind myself I need to order facemasks
• before I read about glass dust dangers and scare myself out of that side of the hobby
• but that light box/table I’m gonna make should ameliorate dust enough
• so that I won’t obsess about it
• still I need to read and educate myself some more and practice on cheaper and less toxic acrylic first
• the forex chart shows a nice trade I missed while showering
• and the LED I implanted into a yellow ping pong ball makes a nice light
• no glare, bright enough and it looks like a bulb albeit
• with two little thin wire legs coming out of it
• maybe I should take a marker and anthropomorphisize it somehow
• or maybe I’m just a bit lightheaded after running about 6-7 miles tonight
• my Cstream wanders into a neat short Kafka-esque story of an inventor with lots of LEDs and ping pong balls
• but perhaps with a happy ending
• and I wonder if there is such a thing as childrens pop up book with LEDs used in an imaginative way to “hi-lite” the story
• or in some other way educate and involve the reader enough
• to have them interact so that they finish the circuit
• in order to complete the multi-ending story
• that last idea has enough ‘oomph’ to think about more
• but alas we do live in such a virtual society already and would
• such a blended concept take hold?
• maybe there is some magic in taking the old and new and creating something just a little different
• that Euro is taking off into 1.47xx land
• as the daily chart looks like its about to climb K2
• with a short stint at base 1
• the 4 hour charts show hesitation at 1.4730 ish but
• as usual 6am greenwich time has some early Euro bull risers
• will it linger in the 1.48 area and come back down with the upcoming US stock market pullback?
• go with the trend, go with the trend
• I need to make that mantra into a song
• is there a word that means “song-ify”?
• the active voice is so much more well active
• me thinks I have drained that last bit of caffeinated adrenaline out of me
• but a quick glance at the etching book before ping pong out.

Blended Living, SoC, frugal fun, run dremel, LEDs, ping pong

• Been working out a lot and hard which
• produced the best night of sleep I’ve had in a short while
• as pleasant as it was, it wasn’t anything compared to that morning when
• my older child stopped her colic-y period
• and I slept thru the night- a full night of sleep after months
• which reminds me the next time she asked what I’ve done for her lately, I might
• pull that one out of the chest
• but midnight runs in Central Park are so peaceful, alone
• in my discipline, without anyone (almost) to observe my breathlessness at
• the tail ends of sprints and the click click click
• of my yellow stopwatch
• even the raccoons were no where to be seen, they
• took the rainy night off, I guess, but today
• as I walked some plants back to their owners, the expression
• “Too many brooms, and too few dustpans”
• sprung forth in my mind, unaware if I parrot or coined
• a new expression that describes a frustrating episode of my life
• but somehow pleased to bring something new and creative out
• of the darkness of limbo-land
• a recent grad sues her college for her not finding a job after a 3 month search
• seems too comical yet reveals the present unemployment frustrations,
• yet digging just slightly past the surface the article
• mentions her 2.7 GPA and solid attendance record and if that doesn’t cement
• an attitude of entitlement- I’m not sure what does
• maybe the publicity will land her a job, but watch out
• at her next review…
• yet something comes to mind from a late night infomercial
• about unreasonable people…
• but somehow that isn’t exemplified well in this case
• still the thought lingers from that Buddha saying:
• “you become what you do now”
• numbers and codes come to mind to outline a running regimen
• but some more spit and polish and testing is forthcomoing
• just to say that it seems to fit me well.

SoC, run raccoons, rest, running

• I’m tired
• that’s good since  I need to go to sleep soon
• haven’t slept well in a few days
• and its starting to show in my focus and dreamy days
• but that fartlek tonight did the trick
• not liquor or pills but miles
• or rather 10 kilometers in Central Park in
• a drizzle that started out slowly up Heartbreak hill
• and passed a female cyclist who was doing some maneuver that
• I didn’t quite understand in my gasps for air
• as she looped around again and
• I shot her a look of “what are you doing” and
• just as she passed me, she didn’t provide any clues,
• microexpressions, or any other form of leakage
• and just as I was about to put her out of my mind I heard
• a clatter behind me as she fell over…
• I yelled back asking “Are you OK?” and she
• said softly “I’m OK” in a tone that implied to me
• that she hurt something else besides her tush and
• she let out a sigh and then
• remarked, “I guess that’s why I’m out practicing…”, and I said
• “Yeah, whatever doesn’t kill you…?” but I was too far away as she
• yelled over, “What?” as I repeated myself and said the longer version
• this time she replied, “Yeah, that’s what my mother tells me.”, and
• I was thinking, “Tough Mom”, and I bid her adieu as she was
• standing now brushing off her tush and I was close enough to see she was indeed
• alright enough for me to continue on my journey
• of intermittent pain labeled ‘fartlek’
• the drizzle continued as I passed the familiar parts heading south amazed
• by the sight of my breath as I finished each leg of speedwork
• and as I caught my invisible breath back I was able to notice the stray dog walker here and there
• and tried to identify the type of bike that approached from the rear or
• the kind of runner that was about to pass me whether
• they were heavy or tall or short or male or female or expert or novice
• which was enough of a distraction for me to get my heart rate back down
• enough to sprint the next 400 meters or so as I
• passed the Lake and came up the little hill to see the huge red billboard displaying
• the time and temperature startled to hear
• another runner breathing harder than me as she finished her speedwork
• and she gave me the motivation to do another few sprints as I turned the corner near Columbus Circle and ran until the light
• and circled back and raced back up the hill north
• just as she completed her sprint south and
• she passed me another time when I had to tease out a knot in my left foot against a pole
• as she turned ahead of me and did this curious bounce up and down the curb as she passed me the last time for the night
• I mentally thanked her for the spirited last three sprints and headed home.

SoC, run drizzle, fartlek, rest

• Running at 10pm in NYC is really pleasant with very few people out
• that is during the summers
• in the winters it seems that is when most of the dogs get their last walk of the night
• its tough to run fast and not tick off one or more of them
• luckily our founding fathers, the ones that commissioned Olmstead
• had the foresight to create Central Park
• which still has dogs off leash at that time
• but they don’t seem to care about me huffing and puffing up some hills
• (they might pity me at that exact moment)
• as I’m so close to myocardial infarction anyway
• fartleks with speedwork up hills and catching my breathe downhill
• that will cure any thoughts about sitting too much
• as I sat on a bus back from AC for 5 hours because two trucks chose to crash into each other inside the Lincoln Tunnel
• Although any negative moment can have its silver lining
• as it was an interesting sociological observation absorbing all the passenger reactions.
• which reminds me of the science of shopping
• a fascinating book about our attitudes and perceptions within retail
• there probably is a transportation or travel equivalent
• I’ve yet to come across
• but considering 50,000 books are written each year
• the science of peoples reactions to travel probably exists
• back to running, I still get a rush when the runners world magazine shows up in the mail
• there was an interesting article about length of workout and immune weakening
• so I may keep my runs to 75 minutes and shorter during flu/cold seasons
• also another article about strengthening the core to help ease repetitive stress injuries
• something about proper alignment of the pelvis
• allowing stronger, surer foot falls
• kinda makes sense, but having difficulty adding these routines to daily workouts, but have to find a way otherwise plateauing will occur.
• that beach and ocean was pretty
• almost free vacations aren’t bad either

SoC, run cold, dogs, night running

Despite reaching a mature age and above average knowledge – in the form of books, people and in the ways of how the world works, I sometimes feel like a pup.  It might be the weather, or the lack of sunlight.  It shouldn’t be the lack of social contact, as the holidays provided me a full serving of that.  It could be the weight of many responsibilities heaped together into a dish I can’t quite chew all at once.

Still I feel like I’ve had a relatively good time lately.  Saw a couple movies, went out for meals with friends, had many long walks in parks and new neighborhoods.  Been keeping up with my running regimen – and that hasn’t been a small feat given the windy coldness.  Been blogging enough, keeping up with my coding ideas and learning.  What I haven’t been doing enough of is drawing, morning pages, taking photos, and the weekly remoteness appointments (times where you spend an hour or two alone at something you normally would not do- go to a museum, wander into new stores/ nabes, browse sections of bookstores/libraries you normally wouldn’t.  I like to think of that line from Monty Python’s Flying Circus when I embark on this journey, “And now for something completely different…” ).

Ritually, Sunday nights have always been my “Gap analysis”.  That moment when you focus on what you want and what you have and see how wide that gap is.  This is a term I borrowed from the MBA types, it was hot about a decade ago.  I like it because it describes what I naturally did most of my life.  You see what that gap is and you build a bridge, or think about the ingredients to build that bridge to connect the present with the intended future.  Lately I feel like that beagle pup looks- which could be a good thing- there is a metamorphosis going on, whilst being scary in its uncertainty.

In the last few years, when I developed the habit of an emotional laundry basket, that got me through some rough times.  I try to identify those sticky, stinky smelling, emotional to-do’s and I put them into the hamper.  Then when I have the time and energy I take out some laundry and wash and spin and dry so to speak.  I like it, since it allows me to put it ‘there’ and not worry about it for a while, and then I know to come back to it later.  Its somewhat like the basic tenet of GTD (Getting Things Done),  make reliable lists so that you can free your mind for more creative thought.

Sometimes, I guess the really dirty emotional laundry sinks down to the bottom of the hamper and you just have to make the time to flip it upside-down and take them all out and do some extra work/cleaning. Deep breath in, and set an alarm – emotional time doesn’t work the same.  Wouldn’t want to get stuck in an emotional wash cycle.   During might not be so special but afterwards is nice.  Its like that feeling when you get all the fresh smelling clothes folded and put away.  Then you have that cup of tea.  Exhale.

Blended Living, health, personal, run breath, emotional laundry, Gap analysis, GTD

The exuberance from my morning run has faded and I’m at the tail end of a busy weekend with more to-do-list than time left.  I feel like I live in a gigantic puzzle, you know the one where there are 16 slots and 15 pieces of the puzzle and you have to move everything to get two of the correct pieces to be next to each other?  And not just my pack rat self and small apartment either.

Its 16 spots with one empty and I’m standing in it.  I just laughed to myself as I read what I typed and it seems so much more dire than reality.  Lots to do, but worth doing and the results and some fun in the doing will be more than enough reward. 

Back to that morning run: it was gorgeous in Central Park this morning.  Everything was lit up by that warm sun, and I even took the bridle path south.  I normally take the paved road.  It was a bit more scenic and the Lake was partially frozen over.  I saw a motionless turtle that I hope was just lethargic.  The little boy in me wanted to poke him with a stick, but the parent in me resisted just enough.

On the way back, I passed the dinosaur topiary in front of the Museum of Natural History.  It wasn’t bad, even compared to the ones in that documentary I saw recently.  Armed with that knowledge of what it takes to create one, I gave the green dino a bit more respect. I’ll try to bring a camera with me next time.

A couple more tasks and off to bed.  This shortened week might just be what I need.

personal, run dinosaur, run, topiary

     The phone call was errant but well timed.  To go back to sleep or not, that is the question.  Suddenly I remembered the new running schedule that I planned on implementing… that is one of the new schedules that I was thinking of implementing.  Still, I was awake and enough so to pull on one of the not-so-new running shirts and tights that I start to grow familiar with.

I stopped asking myself if I look funny in these black tights, somewhat due to repetition mostly due to being thankfully warm during these last few runs.  It was 70 degrees 7 days ago, wasn’t it?  (I might still ask a friend if the tights are …)

Some lessons learned for winter running:

1. I need about 1 layer per 10 degrees F below 50F
2. Lip balm
3. Head and ear cover in the form of a cheap cap from the local 99 cent store.

So I headed out and woke quickly in the 15 degree’d wind-chilled air of a crisp New York morning.  I decided to go into Riverside this time…incorrectly thinking that it would be less windy.  I tried to focus on nasal breathing, to help the air warm and humidify a bit before hitting my lungs like sandpaper.  Also all that jazz about nitric oxide being good for you (another upcoming article).

My face burned from the wind before I got too far.  I pulled the black cap down a bit further and dealt with feeling good that my ears didn’t freeze like the other night.  Thoughts strayed to my late dog Lena – a Samoyed that never truly lived in the moment unless she was out in the park on days like this.  The thick white fur coat and huge smile that she brought everywhere with her still makes me smile every time I think of her and the nickname I gave her.  “Hostess of the park” I used to call her as she would grin and greet almost everyone that happened across her path.

Those reminiscenses got me through the first mile – as I turned by the empty tennis courts.  I looked out over the Hudson and saw the white breakers – if memory served that meant winds in excess of 12-15 miles.  Somewhere in my past there was a NYPL book that outlined little signs of what milage windage caused what.  Light leaves rustling?  2 to 4 miles per hour.   Branches moving? then 5-7 miles, etc.

The wind chill and frostbite table would have prepared me better, as I didn’t know till much later that it was “feels like” 15F.  I did decide to cut the run short as I got winded trying to pass a young coed that raced past me.   She was finishing her run as she circled the Dinosaur playground and exited.  I fed my wounded ego by running past her and back up the hill towards the north.  Thankfully it wasn’t windy in this section.  I could see my breath as I worked my way up the little hill.

A few minutes later I was home and warmly under my most comfortable comforter.  The post run nap was splendid.

personal, run cold, run, running, wind, winter