Fathers are black holes that suck up the light.

Have you seen me?
I am from Cleveland, y'all. This is not a blizzard. This is called snow.

Distance: 8 miles
Route: 5 laps around the block, then to Green Rd. and back

This endeavor is insane. And yet, it keeps me sane. I am currently exhausted. And yet this exercise keeps me alert and alive. I am sore and worn. Yet, I am losing weight, breathing more freely, and fit into my pants.

My right hip hurts. I remember the hip aches, I must stretch to accommodate. Stretches now must include 1) knee bends to strengthen the muscles around my knees - they do not hurt. 2) shin stretches - my shin splints do not trouble me. If I add side stretches (sometimes I do them, sometimes I do not) perhaps that will help with this issue. Suggestions, as always, are welcome.

Temperature: 19º
Climate: ankle-deep snow.
Weight: 172.5 lbs.
Snack: PowerBar
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

My days are spent writing grant proposals for my employer. In addition, I am working with select fifth graders at my kids' school to create a Women's History Month event which will be presented March 30.

My evenings are taken up with the Great Lakes Outreach Touring Production of Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I wrote the adaptation from her novel. I am playing Hercule Poirot. That's why I have this stupid-looking mustache. The tour begins in three days.

Then, rehearsals begin in another week for the Cleveland premiere of Eric Coble's The Velocity of Autumn at Beck Center. 90-minutes. Two actors, one of whom is Cleveland legend Dorothy Silver. Dorothy and me. 90-minutes. Opens March 23.

Then I get a break for about a week before conducting auditions for The History of King Henry the Eighth (All Is True) for the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. I mean, I have to finish cutting it first. Rehearsals will begin some time in April.

All of these things will happen. And I will still be in training. The Velocity of Autumn closes April 29. The race will be only nine days shy of a month away.

Why do I do these things to myself? I have to be honest. When I am not in the act of creation, I am dead. When I am in the act of creation, I am miserable. But at least I am not dead.

1995 Playlist
All Mixed Up - 311
Cupid De Locke - Smashing Pumpkins
Stupid Girl - Garbage
California Love - Tupac ft. Dr. Dre
#1 Crush - Garbage
Girl U Want - Devo
Car Song - Elastica
Geek Stink Breath - Green Day
The Brooklynites - Soul Coughing
I'll Be There For You - The Rembrandts
Where Does a Body End? - Swans
Animal - Prick
The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana) (163 bpm) - Liz Phair w/Material Issue
Possum Kingdom - The Toadies
Hello - Poe
Jaded (157 bpm) - Green Day
Alice - Mylène Farmer
Mama Told Me Not To Come - Wolfgang Press
Wonderwall (173 bpm) - Oasis
Jackson Cannery - Ben Folds Five

Cooldown:
Scream - Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson

What the hell is a modem?