Wednesday, June 30, 2004
I ran the Waterfront/Esplanade tonight after work. Two-point-five miles. I sucked because I've now run two days in a row, but, hey, that's what the plan called for. I didn't push myself very hard, as planned, but still had to walk several sections. I walked, maybe, oh, 10-20% of the distance.
So far this week I already have 8 miles total. Tomorrow's a rest day, though. Then Friday I'll be running five miles along the Springwater Corridor. Saturday will be 4 miles, bringing my total for the week to 17, which will be my best week ever. Of course, one of the goals of my training for this 10K run is to increase my weekly mileage.
Yay.
Saw something cool on Slashdot, the geek blog. For people that like to learn stuff, this is perhaps the best advice I've seen in a long long time:
I don't remember when, where, who or how, but I once received a piece of advice I've never forgotten, which seemed wise at the time, and which I've since found invaluable."Every once in awhile, walk into a bookstore and buy a magazine devoted to a subject you know nothing about. Read it."There are magazines devoted to everything -- sports cars, handguns, knitting, ferrets, Italian cooking, Civil War reenactments, log cabins, etc. Magazines are a terrific (and cheap) way to expand your horizons.
crib
According to Streets 98 I ran 5.57 miles last night total!
I rock!
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
I ran the goal tonight. 2 miles easy pace, then four one-minute Aerobic Intervals (which means I ran a fast pace but not so fast that I went anaerobic), each followed by slow jogging until I could go back to my normal easy pace, then another 2 miles at an easy pace. I'm not sure how many miles the AI's added to the four miles of easy pace. I'll research it and post it here tomorrow.
It was difficult, especially the last two miles, but I kept reminding myself that endurance is the primary goal. I've got to build up my endurance so that the 6.2 miles/10 kilometers is not a problem. Of course, I don't want to injure myself in training, but I think I'm far from that.
Tomorrow is an optional day, according to the original plan, and considering all I have going on tomorrow I might not do the three miles I planned. I'll try... but Master Yoda says there's only do or do not.
I'm not yet a Jedi, however. After the 10 K I'll be a Jedi.
Monday, June 28, 2004
My friend Jake, obviously feeling that taking 20 credit hours this summer on top of a 30-hour-per week (and very stressful all in itself) job isn't fulfilling enough, or stressful enough in combination, has decided to run in the Hood To Coast Relay.
Here's my public advice to him:
Don't die, Jake! Don't die!
Of course, this means that I will once again find myself on that fucking beach in Seaside. Slightly different context, though. And it'll all be overlaid with the previous contexts and memories I've lived through previously.
Who says history doesn't repeat itself? Or at least echoes, changed but similar.
Oops.
I didn't go running this morning. Bad, bad me. Won't be able to make it up tonight, either -- got plans.
Good thing I went for a 6.2 mile walk yesterday. I walked the course for the Nike Run Hit Wonder 10K, just to get a feel for it. Took pictures of each mile point, which I'll post at some point this week. Dayum there's a lot of uphill parts... it even starts out uphill, going east on Alder from Broadway to 12th Ave... Yikes.
So I'll have to shift my running schedule. Basically I'll go with the original schedule posted by Runner's World. Although I'm going to do the 5-mile run on Friday as I originall planned. Like this:
- Tuesday: 2 miles in my neighborhood, 4x1:00 Aerobic Intervals (AI), finish with 2 miles.
- Wednesday: 3 mile run - Waterfront/Esplanade? Three Parks Run?
- Thursday: Rest day.
- Friday: 5 miles easy run - Run to work.
- Saturday: 4 mile run - Four Parks Run. During run, do 3 Gentle Pickups (GP).
- Sunday: Rest day.
Sunday, June 27, 2004
OK. The Runner's World 10K Plan is 5 weeks, and starting tomorrow there's exactly 5 weeks until the Nike Run Hit Wonder 10K. So, starting Monday, I'm going to be following the plan as closely as I can. I'm modifying it a little because their plan starts on a Monday but I tend to think of my week starting on Sunday, so it's shifted a little. I'll adjust as the race gets closer.
So, for the coming week, I'll be running as follows:
- Monday: 2 miles in my neighborhood, 4x1:00 Aerobic Intervals (AI), finish with 2 miles.
- Tuesday: 3 mile run - Waterfront/Esplanade? Three Parks Run?
- Wednesday: 4 mile run - Four Parks Run. During run, do 3 Gentle Pickups (GP).
- Thursday: Rest day.
- Friday: 5 miles easy run - Run to work.
- Saturday: Rest day.
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Connecting the dots
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a meditation on the impossibility of erasing painful memories. The scene where Dr. Mierzwiak asks Joel to collect everything that reminds him of Clementine so that Lacuna can attach the appropriate memory to the object and then dispose of both the object and the memory is an obvious example. When someone was a huge part of one's life, memories are going to be attached to lots of things that aren't so easily disposable; a song, a scent, a place, a time or anniversary... Joel and Clem met at the beach, and there are memories of the beach that signify each other to each other. How would you eliminate those memories? You can't erase the beach. "Meet me in Montauk," a voice would whisper in Joel's mind, and if he didn't have the memory of meeting Clem there, the feeling and the image of the beach would become a disturbing alien thought in his brain. Could he interpret the feeling without the context of the memory? How would someone react to that?
The process of memory elimination is a type of time travel, isn't it? If you simply eliminated all the memories of some pivotal event in your past, you're re-creating the past, and re-creating yourself. And when you start tampering with yourself, there's no telling how you'll end up.
Obviously Dr. Mierzwiak rushed his concept into production, since there were obvious flaws in the process of memory elimination. And, of course, in the world we all inhabit, Lacuna Inc. is just a clever idea, as far removed from reality as a dream barely remembered on awakening.
OK, I can accept that. But living with painful memories is still, well, painful. As much as I would like to simply eliminate anything that reminded me of a past failed relationship, I recognize that that's a childish lashing-out. "Make it go away" is the response of a mind unused to pain, not to mention the basis for the desire to travel through time; it's not so far from "Make it go away" to "Make it didn't happen."
So the memories remain, and shape the man I am. Can't get rid of them, they're part of me and simply steps from where I've been to what I'm going to be. Great. Nice.
Still got to deal with it, though. And one way to deal with it is to write about it. Sure, create a narrative that includes the memories, but through the process of selecting words and putting them down on paper, I can modify the memories that triggered the words. Memories are images and feelings, states of consciousness created by my body and neural pathways and chemistry in my head (I'm a materialist; all I am is my physicality, perhaps an essay for another time) -- words, however, are a step more concrete. Words are signifiers of another kind, a shared concept. And translating an interior state into an external sequence of words, choosing nouns and verbs... a form of control. I can limit what I think about. I have to limit what I think about if I'm going to write it down; there's too much information in a memory, context, past, present, feelings, images, sounds, scents, relationships, history... Not all of that can go into a journal entry. The stuff that gets included is strengthened. The things that aren't mentioned are weakened. And by choosing how to describe the stuff that is there, the entire construct is modified. Attenuated. Made... safe. Safe to think about. And maybe, because of the feeling that it's now "documented", made safe to not think about.
Not enough, though. Sometimes other external elements conspire to re-trigger the painful memories. And now we get to the point of my essay. Remember my idea that there are things too large to eliminated? How would you eliminate a beach?
Like... Seaside, Oregon. A little large to be tossed in a box and tossed out with the trash.
You could try to replace or overwrite the painful memories with something recent, a positive memory.
Problem is, just as I don't think it's possible to entirely eliminate a memory, I don't think you can weaken the hold an old feeling has on you by overlaying it with a strong, new memory.
My friend Jake's birthday was Friday. Last week his mom called me and said that she wanted to do something special to celebrate his birthday. To rent a condo at the beach and have all his friends and family there. A great idea. It took a couple of days to work out the exact details. In the end, she found a room at a resort on the beach in Seaside. When she finally contacted me to tell me where and when to meet, I knew immediately the place she'd chosen. It's the huge new resort, right on the beach. Right where the Hood To Coast Relay Race finishes every year.
Site of one of the last good memories of a past relationship.
Knowing it would be selfish of me to taint Jake's birthday by wallowing in my own past, but still, like Proust, transported almost a year ago by the mere thought of revisiting a place that haunts me, I knew to keep those ghosts to myself. And for the most part, I believe I succeeded (until posting this essay, that is). I did let on to another close friend what I was experiencing, but his response was ironic and sharp and reminded me to continue to keep it under wraps. I'm not sure he intended it that way -- that's simply how I took it.
The dark side of this was being triggered by every little image and thought that started out, "The last time I was here..." The last time I drove down this highway I was following her as she ran in the Hood To Coast. The last time I walked on this street I was with her parents, waiting for her to finish. The last time I was in this arcade I was having the time of my life on the bumper cars with her daughters.
The last time I stood on this beach, she and I were in high spirits and working on a reconciliation. Of course, that attempt eventually failed, there's history that intervenes between the memory of dancing on the beach under the night sky in a huge party... and the eventual fights and falling out... to today, but at the time it seemed like we could work things out.
The last time I drove back on this highway, she rested next to me, and I was comfortable and felt competent and sure that this was a high-water point in our story. I wanted to remember it forever. This, before I discovered that remembering forever is not always a good thing.
Strange though. In order for me to remember it as a happy memory, I have to ignore the rest of the context, the surrounding story, the "what has happened since then". Perhaps when I selected words to describe those feelings and images and scents and touches and feelings as happy and contented and sweet, I left something important out? Did I eliminate the bitter, the sarcastic, the angry, the hurtful? Could that be possible?
Nahhhh... I hurry on past that worrisome thought.
So I found myself once again on that beach, but the context is new. The context includes memories of her, but now in addition to her ghost it includes Jake and his siblings and friends. It includes my closest friends, celebrating an interesting life.
In my memory, the beach is full of people, a huge stage with a cover band belting out oldies, bottles of Oregon beer. In the moment, however, the beach is bereft of people, dark and unlit, the only music the hiss and rumble of the Pacific, glasses of José Cuervo served out of a backpack, poured into highball glasses from the resort.
In my memory she and I chase the kids around the sand while her parents dance, and pretend everything is fine between us, make plans for the future that will never happen. In the moment, Jake and Caleb and I wander off to sit on the sand, buzzed from the tequila, to discuss psychology and philosophy and reassure each other that it's the rest of humanity that's broken, or more broken, or perhaps just broken differently than we each are. In memory she's beautiful and lively and perfect. In the moment my friends are flawed but dear to me.
In the moment there's the walk back to the resort, where we find a fourth for a game of 8-ball into the wee hours of the morning, where Caleb and I beat Jake and Bill 4 games to 3. In the moment I forget the memory for a few brief hours, although the proximity of the beach outside the resort coaxes the occasional image or word to surface. In the moment we eventually wander upstairs to find places to crash for a few hours. In the moment my dreams consist of fragments of Beck songs -- appropriately enough, on so many levels, songs from "Sea Change". My mental imagery can be both blatant and subtle at the same time. In the moment Caleb and I go for a 3 mile run on the beach, then drag the party out to the pool. In the moment Jake and Caleb and I drive back to Portland, Caleb dj-ing from my iPod. His first selection: "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra, a song with ties to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and her, weirdly enough now co-mingled with Caleb and I, since Caleb first heard the song on our road trip to Coachella to see (among others) Beck and Radiohead perform, two acts that meant a lot to me and to her, a road trip that concluded with long painful discussions of relationships and much soul-searching...
The reminders and connections are thick everywhere I look. I can't keep up with the twisting and turning of memories and images and songs. If someone, somehow, eliminated the song "Mr. Blue Sky" from my mind entirely, I think I could re-create the entire context through all of the connections it has to other aspects of my life.
It's like lace, or a sweater, or a net -- pull here and the whole thing would suffer from that lack. I wouldn't be me if part of me were gone. A too-obvious conclusion? Maybe so. But, as with life, it's not the conclusion that's important.
It's how I got here that's the part worth keeping.
Friday, June 25, 2004
OK. Considering my time this morning, my goal for the Nike Run Hit Wonder 10K on August 1 is to run a 9:00 pace (or better), which means I'd finish in 55 minutes.
I've got 5 weeks to train for it. And I have the training plan.
I can do it! I can, I can, I can!
Whoo-HOO!
It's amazing what I can do when I just relax.
I ran to work today. My typical 5 mile trek along the Springwater Corridor Trail, from Sellwood to downtown Portland.
After my "mini-intervals" on Wednesday (which made my legs sit up and take notice), today I just wanted to relax and not push myself too hard.
That being said, though, I did want to time myself. I used the stopwatch function on my cell phone (side note: I discovered that my new Sony Ericsson T610 is small enough to fit in the tiny little pocket in my running shorts! Yay! Finally I own a tiny cell phone! Not "Zoolander" tiny, but still...).
And my time for the 5-mile trek: 47:52.2, or a pace of 9:34.4!
Thursday, June 24, 2004
They posted the results for the Mt. Tabor 5K Challenge.
I came in 44th overall, 31st Male. Final official time was 29:02:69!
Whoo-HOO! Go, me!
I've added this to my Trophy Page.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Didn't have to search too long.
Presenting the Runner's World Magazine 10K Training Plan. Link opens in new window.
Ran the "Three Parks Run" today. Finally started incorporating the training routines from Runner's World magazine into my run. I'm following their suggestions for training for a 10K -- want to be ready for the Nike Run Hit Wonder on August 1st. Today was mini-speedwork: In the 3 miles, I did 4 "gentle pickups" -- gradually picking up speed over the course of 100 meters, then holding at about 90% of flat-out for me for 10 meters, then slowing back down until I fully recover. It was fun and easier than I feared.
I'll post the full training schedule here soon. Or if I can find a link to it, I'll post that.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Roly-poly gargonzoly!
I ran tonight for the first time in my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 5s, and... wow! What a difference a new shoe makes! Damn if I didn't feel much faster in them -- "Adrenaline" is right! I was full of it! My feet felt better and I could run farther, faster.
Unfortunately, the sensation of speed was only subjective; I did not time myself. I just felt better and didn't have to stop and walk at all until near the end. It may only be a psychological difference but that's enough for me. I ran the "Three Parks Run", or about 3 miles.
I love my new shoes, I love my new shoes, I love my new shoes...
!
Saw "Dodgeball" this weekend. Funny movie. Not as funny as "Zoolander" but it still made me chuckle.
Favorite line came from Lance Armstrong (!):
"Well, if nobody ever quit when the going got too tough, I guess people wouldn't have something to regret for the rest of their life."
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Feeling anti-social today. Spent most of the day cleaning the apartment and cursing the entire race of humanity for all time, past, present, and future. Well, mostly. My apologies to anyone I may have offended today; these moods come and go, and, trust me, you don't want to be around me when I'm like this.
Went shopping for a new pair of running shoes and had to force myself to describe my running routine to the clerk. Didn't want to get stuck with some shitty shoes.
I went to The Portland Running & Walking Company (they used to be just the Portland Running Company but apparently lost a lot of business to people who "just walk"). Tried on a bunch of shoes, ran for the sales clerk, tried on some more.
For the record, I bought a pair of Brooks Adrenaline 5's, in size 10EE (I've got a wide foot). A year or more ago I started with Brooks Addictions, but those are heavier shoes with cushioning for larger folk, like I used to be, and I liked the lighter shoe with its curved sole. Felt good, and much lighter. The clerk suggested them since I've lost so much weight since acquiring the Addictions.
Can't wait to try them out.
Really really really wanted to fit into the Nikes (so I could cash in on my friend's employee discount, hee, hee, hee!) but dammit, Nike makes shoes for narrow-footed people.
Time to add up the miles this week:
Tuesday: 5+ miles (ran to work)
Thursday: 2+ miles (Tryon Creek State Park)
Saturday: 3+ miles (Mt. Tabor Challenge 5K)
Total: 10 miles.
About what I wanted, since I'm supposed to "taper" my miles the week before a race.
I've worked my way up to 20 push-ups and over 40 sit-ups in almost 2 weeks. It feels like slow going but I'm sticking with it.
My weight is a little high (174.5 lb this morning) but still in my range. If it goes above 175 I'll cut back on the food until it drops. Hopefully I'm not rebounding...
Next week I'm going to aim for speed more than distance. I'll post a training schedule later.
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Regarding the picture gallery problem: it's fixed now.
Thanks for your patience. If anyone noticed besides myself, that is...
Regarding the picture I posted:
I'm more embarrassed by the cheesy grin I'm sporting, than by my wearing the bright red Nike shirt.
Normally I only wear black, white, or gray but my running clothes have been known to have some color to them...
For some reason some of the directories under my "Pictures" aren't showing up. I'm fixing that.
Ran the Mt. Tabor Challenge today. The course was tough but not as tough as I thought it would be. Mostly downhill (which isn't easier, for those of you who aren't runners).
Caleb and I stayed together for about the first half of the race. When we passed the 1-mile marker, Caleb checked his (brand-new Nike) watch and said we'd done that in 7:20, which surprised the hell out of me. That was all downhill, so I was running faster than I should have, even though I'd been purposely trying to hold back.
I finished about the same today as I did in the Lake Run, around 29 minutes. The clock just turned 29:00 as I approached the gates.
Click to enlarge. From left: Caleb, Jake, Brian (the author)
Jake ran it in 20:23 and probably finished first or second in his age group. Caleb ran it in around 27:00, two minutes faster than me. The nice thing about being the slowest person among my friends is that they're at the finish line, waiting for me and cheering me on!
Friday, June 18, 2004
Went running in Tryon Creek State Park with some friends last night. Wanted to run, but didn't want to melt in the heat (it was over 90 degrees yesterday in Portland), and didn't want to push myself too hard with the Mt. Tabor Challenge on Saturday, so my friend suggested that it would be cool in several senses of the word.
He was right. It was beautiful up there, and running on the trails was a nice change from running on asphalt or concrete. A nice warm-up for the Mt. Tabor Challenge.
Afterward we went out for BBQ at Tennessee Red's in SE, then saw "Kill Bill Vol. 2" (me for the second time, my friends for the first time).
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Almost got hit by a truck at lunchtime.
I was crossing West Burnside at 10th Ave in front of Powell's Books. There were some other people crossing in the opposite direction (south to north), and I looked up and saw the "White man says 'walk'" sign, so I stepped out into the street. As soon as I did, the signal changed to the flashing orange hand.
There were a couple of cars waiting for the pedestrians to clear, and I waited for a second while two cars turned left onto Burnside. A large panel truck was behind them, he slowed a bit and I figured that he was going to let me go because I was standing out in the middle of the street. So I started walking.
I guess the truck was just slowing down for the turn, though, because he kept coming. I looked up through the windshield to see if the driver was looking for me, and couldn't tell. I was still walking and he was still coming...
I thought, "What a dork!" but kept going (I'm stubborn at the most inopportune times) and so did he. I had to break into a run, and dodge into the eastbound lane to get out of his way.
He never even slowed down. I don't think he even saw me.
Speaking of running to work, I don't think I should run with my iPod anymore.
Dammit.
It skips. Badly. Like whole albums at a time.
Sure, the damn thing is still under warranty but I don't want to have to be without it while sending it off for repair, or, more likely, replacement with some refurbished piece o' crap that someone else broke.
Now I just have to find a RAM-based player that's as cool as an iPod. Do such exist?
Why am I so tired lately?
I'm taking my vitamins, my diet is under control, I'm exercising regularly (ran to work yesterday morning).
It couldn't be stress, could it? Hucking fell, I hate Qworst.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
On top of everything else, my work phone isn't working, either. It just rang and wouldn't go to voice mail.
So Debra from Qwest may not have been lying when she said she tried to call and couldn't leave a voice mail yesterday. Maybe I've turned the corner. Maybe Qwest has decided to stop lying to me.
...naaaahhhhhh. One possibly truthful statement doesn't negate 16 days of lies and irritation.
I guess I'm cursed now. Telecom cursed.
Monday, June 14, 2004
It's been the Monday-est Monday ever.
It's had everything: me forgetting stuff, bosses telling me multiple times to do stuff that I'm not supposed to do, battling with Qwest (still. Still!) over my lack of phone service.
Let me put it this way: having my teeth cleaned was the highlight of my day.
Talking to a girl on the bus, she'd mentioned that she'd had dinner with a friend in NW Portland. I told her that I'd been in NW this weekend past, and had had a pomegranate margarita, and that it had been good. "It was called a Persephone" I explained.
"Oh, that would be good. And good for you," she confided.
"Really? You don't think the alcohol would counteract the benefits of the pomegranate?"
"Oh, no."
I smiled at her. "I like the way you think!" But, then, thinking it over, "But I'm afraid I've eaten too many seeds and now I'm stuck in Hell."
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Stopped at my favorite coffee shop tonight. Noticed the cute barista had cut her long, blonde hair off; it was all chopped off in the back. Cute, but I liked it longer.
Figured I should say something. Wanted to tease her a little. A comment with a sarcastic twist rose in my mind in much the same way most people fear change (i.e., without much conscious thought).
I walked over while I was waiting for my tall soy chai and said, deadpan, "You look different."
She preened and smiled, "Yeah! I chopped off all my hair!"
"Huh. No," I said, squinting at her, "I was thinking you looked taller."
She turned serious. "I've heard that before, that's so weird. Whenever I cut my hair, people think I'm taller!"
"Oh," I said, still deadpan. "Really. Mostly, I was being sarcastic."
"You're not the first person to think that," she said.
Well, I couldn't have that. "Yeah, it's probably because you're all neck now."
She laughed and stretched her head up. "It's the giraffe effect!"
Yeah, that's it.
I turned my "Three Parks Run" into a "Four Parks Run" on the fly.
Instead of going through Sellwood Park directly, I ran along the Springwater Corridor Trail until past the 3.5 mile mark, probably close to 3.8 miles, then went under the trail into the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and cut through it to a trail that zig-zags up the face of the bluff into Sellwood Park, then caught my normal path from there along the top of the bluff and onto Bybee Street, down to Westmoreland Park, etc., etc.
That had to add at least a half-mile, probably closer to a full mile, to the run. The original run is 3.5 miles, including the warm-up and cool-down (3 miles of it running) so I did a 4+ mile run today! And I only had to stop for traffic (and a stupid girl blocking the sidewalk in front of Saburo's on Bybee!)
It's "Mistaken Identity" weekend here at Chez Luna.
First, on Friday I met a friend, who asked me in advance if a friend of hers could come along. I said, "sure, no problem." For some reason, I was expecting the as-yet-unmet person to be a 50-ish aging hippy. And she turned out to be a red-haired green-eyed anthropologist-slash-model. (Yes, my friend does have a friend like the one I was expecting; I just got mixed-up, is all.)
Then, today I was meeting face-to-face with someone I met online, and I had thought she was a 26-year-old dark-haired woman of Portuguese ancestry -- but she wasn't. She was in her 30's, a red-haired woman of Caucasian descent.
Joke's on me, I guess. I'm flexible. Had a good time anyway, both times.
Not that I care, or listen, but the universe is obviously trying to tell me something...
I've found my first 10K race... the Nike Run Hit Wonder.
What an awesome idea for a race: gather a bunch of "one-hit wonders" like Ton Loc, Devo, Kajagoogoo, and Tommy Tutone, and have them play along the course.
Only freakin' Nike would come up with something like that.
Got 8 weeks (give or take) to train for it.
I'm so there.
I went and added up my mileage for the week yesterday but forgot that my week ends today. I havent' run today but I plan on doing it, and I'm going to do another 3.5 miles. Y'know, 'cause I rock.
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Running update:
Run to work yesterday. Because I haven't been doing well I was unconcerned about time and pace; I just wanted to do the entire distance without stopping or walking. I failed to do that, because my iPod has started skipping. Turns out you really shouldn't run with a hard drive after all. It's still working, and when I get a chance to move my backups off it I'm going to reformat and reload my music and other files on to it, and run a full HD checkup. But not this weekend... well, maybe tomorrow if I get a chance.
So my final mileage for last week was 3.5 + 2.5 + 5.5 = 11.5 miles. Probably my best week, distance-wise, not so good time-wise. But, hey.
Next week I plan on easing back even more on the running and focusing on the gym, just for the change of pace, since I seem to have hit a plateau in running.
I can't remember if I've mentioned here that I've added sit-ups and push-ups daily. Basically, once a day (usually, but not always, at night before bed) I do as many of each in a row as I can. I ended this week with a paltry 29 sit-ups and 17 push-ups. I hope to increase the number significantly over time.
Friday, June 11, 2004
My groove is thoroughly harshed
Qwest still has not ported my landline number to my cell phone. I have lots of details but no time to divulge them in the rant-y manner in which they so completely deserve.I've been dealing with Devin (Qwest employee #8220, direct phone number 602-665-4765). Well, if you call me leaving voice mails for him for the past half-week and not geting a fucking phone call back "dealing with".
Oops, did I just post his phone number? Damn, now he's on the IntarWeb.
NOTE: Please do not call the number I just posted above. Devin is a busy man and I'm sure that he's hard at work resolving my issue, and I'm sure he doesn't need any distractions from the fine job he's doing for Qwest. I only posted it so that I would have reference to it when I need to call him.
One final question: How in the hucking fell does a company get away with such obvious disrespect for their customers?
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Whew!
Been busy lately, and I have had lots of experiences and events to blog about, but just haven't had the time.
Moved into a new apartment two weeks ago.
Saw the movie "Coffee and Cigarettes" -- very funny. Any movie that has appearances by both Bill Murray and a Tesla coil (built by Jack White of the White Stripes!) gets a thumb's up by me. "So, Jack, aren't you going to tell me about your Tesla coil?"
Threw a housewarming party for myself last weekend, had a great time. Used my Nalgene bottle as a margarita shaker and now it smells like tequila! Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Although I was under the impression that Nalgene bottles never pick up a smell that couldn't be washed out. When the party rolled out into the street and I woke the neighbors cracking the 8' bullwhip I'd picked up in Mexico last Christmas I knew that this was one of the best parties I'd ever thrown. There will be more, oh, yes.
Hmm... could do a review of "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell. A friend lent it to me when she found out I was an atheist. OK, I don't know that the two thoughts were connected in her mind, but she did mention my "beliefs" when loaning it to me. It was a surprisingly well-written novel about a Jesuit expedition to another planet for a first contact with an alien species... or two... Thought-provoking. But I don't want to spoil my coming conversation with my friend about this (are you reading, Anna?) so I'll say no more for now.
My PC won't frickin' boot up. Just clicks through the speakers. I've tried troubleshooting it and have had no success. Sucks. Looks like either the power supply, the motherboard, or the processor is blown. Happened after the lightning storm earlier this week, although I'm sure that's a coincidence. I powered it down and unplugged it during the storm just because I didn't want anything to happen to it. Grumble, grumble. Now I have to build me a new PC. Oh, well, my trusty iBook is still up and running... (What? Me, tempting fate? I don't believe in fate, remember?)
I've gained 5 lb since the party. Weird. Probably just a random fluctuation. It's dropping back to what it was before, though. If it went up and stayed up for a while I'd be more worried.
Vitamins do help my running. Guess I have to start watching my actual nutrition, not just calories.
Went to a book reading at Powell's by Davy Rothbart, of Found Magazine and it was so very very funny. Davy is a guy who finds things; photos, tossed-away notes and letters, personal items... and he scans them or takes pictures and puts them in his magazine. It's funny and sad, seeing into random people's lives and the stuff they write, never knowing the whole story, or even whether the intended recipient received the note or not. Davy's brother also sang two songs based on items that appeared in Found -- one song had me (and, apparently, only me) laughing uproariously, which only made it funnier. I could write so much more about that reading... that deserves a full post.
Shit. So much stuff, so much rich material... and I have to turn them into bullet points. Each one of those things deserves a full post all by itself. It's funny; when I had almost nothing going on in my life, I had lots of time to write but not a lot to say. Now that I've got a much fuller life, I have no time to document or create stories. Paradox.
Ray Charles passed away today, at the age of 73.
I'm listening to "Shake A Tail Feather" from the Blues Brothers movie soundtrack in tribute, on repeat. It's the only thing of his I've got on my iPod.
C'mon, sing it with me...
{ lead voice, keys, solo }
"Well, I heard about the fella you've been dancing with
All over the neighborhood
Well, why didn't you ask me, baby?
Or didn't you think I could?
{ band joins in }
Well I know that the Boogiloo is out of sight
but the shingaling she's paying tonight
but if that were you and me haughty baby
I would have shown you how to do right!
Do it right, ( ah ha ), do it right
Do it right, ( do it right ), (( do it right ))
(( Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ))
(( Twisting, shake-it shake-it shake-it shake-it baby ))
(( Heaven go loop-dee-loop )), shake it up baby
(( Heaven go loop-dee-li ))
{ low } Bend over and let me see you shake your tail feather
{ mid joins } Bend over and let me see you shake your tail feather
{ All } Come on and let me see you shake your tail feather
Come on and let me see you shake your tail feather
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
{ repeat chorus }
Come on! Come on baby!
Come on-on, yeah come on baby
Alright, do the twist
Do the fly, oh!
Do the swim, ha ha ha
and do the bird
Wo do the jerk
and do the monkey
Hey hey The Watusi
and uh what about the fool
Do the mash potato!
What about the boogiloo
Or the phoney moroney
Come on and do the twist
(( Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ))
Twisting, shake-it shake-it shake-it shake-it baby
Twisting, skake-it shake-it shake-it shake-it baby
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
After the thunderstorm passed last night, I went out for a run. I planned on doing the Three Park Run, 3.5 miles. I know, I know, I ran the day before and I probably shouldn't run two days in a row. But the Sunday run was out of sequence for me and I wanted to get back to the proper every-other-day sequence. Which is one reason I ran after work, not before -- more than 24 hours since my last run.
I didn't have high hopes for this run, considering my fear that I run for shit in the afternoon. But, I have been taking vitamins (a multi, a Super B-complex, a C, and a calcium and potassium supplement), plus I wasn't going for speed, just endurance. I wanted to go the distance. I wanted to finish without walking.
And I did it! I now have a mental success to counter my fear. I only had to stop running and walk when traffic forced me to. I did the run in the opposite route of before: first towards Johnson Creek Park, then through Westmoreland, then uphill to Sellwood Park and back home. I have no idea what my time was; it felt like slower than a 10:00 pace. And I was afraid the thunderstorm (or at least the rain) would come back -- it didn't.
I also added push ups and sit ups to my routine. I'm going to track how many I can do, and do them every day. I went rock-climbing (indoors, at the Portland Rock Gym) on Saturday and I found I have very little upper-body strength. Gotta work on that. Come to think of it, I haven't been to the gym in weeks and weeks... that would help, too.
My weight peaked after my party on Saturday. Got up over 176 lb. and freaked me out. But it's coming back down, and I'm relieved to discover that it was probably just water gain. Or at least liquid (beer, tequila, vodka, sake...). Today I'm back in the "zone" -- 173.5.
Sunday, June 06, 2004
Stupid rain.
Stupid stupid rain, first it ruins my run this morning, then it ruins my one freakin' day to goof off outside.
Stupid, stupid rain.
Exercise update
This week I was weak. I only ran 9.5 miles: 2 miles on Tuesday, 5.5 miles on Thursday, drank myself stupid on Friday (I planned that, by the way), tried to go bouldering on Saturday, ran just over 2 miles on Sunday (today).
I've stopped taking my vitamin supplements, and it seems obvious in retrospect that my lack of energy is tied to the lack of nutrition. I've started taking them again, and I'll see how my exercise goes.
Two weeks until the Mt. Tabor Challenge. Hoo-boy, that's going to be a killer.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
I run better in the morning. I don't know why. I just do. I'm so much stronger, able to just keep running, able to dissociate myself from thinking about what I'm doing, able to breathe properly.
I did two miles tonight. Not great, had to walk some, couldn't breathe. Bah.
Now I'm sitting here, in the dark, bathed in the cool soft glow of my iBook's screen, listening to Mr. Colin Molloy sing "Clementine". I'm now a big fan of The Decemberists. The songs are literate, ironic, slightly twisted, and generally sad, even when the tune is upbeat and catchy.
OK, time for bed. G'night.
I need to run. I should be running right now. Two days ago I ran the "Three Parks" loop and nearly died, but managed to finish it with an absolute minimum of walking. Two days ago, I planned on getting up early today and running at least 3 miles. Then I went out with someone on Monday evening, and stayed out late, at least too late to get up at 4:30 AM today and be in any kind of shape, and so decided to run tonight after work. All day long I could feel my energy level dropping, and the excuses came out in my head: "Run tomorrow morning! It won't change your schedule that much... You're too tired to run. You don't have to run 3.5 miles, you can just run 2 miles... don't run, go home, go to sleep, you need it... if you don't have dinner that's the same, calorie-wise, as running... don't run..."
Dammit. I'm not going to give in to the negative voices. I'm going. I'm already dressed for a run. I drank plenty of water. It's a beautiful warm evening outside. I just have to get up from this couch and go out that door...
I'm going. See me go? I'm gone.
