Nothing lasts forever ... of that I'm sure.

"Would you like to take the kids to the gym while I cook dinner?"

Love to!

Sometimes it feels good to run in regular, flat circles in a temperature-controlled environment. No hat, nothing on my head. When was the last time I did that?

1980 Playlist
New Toy - Lene Lovich
She's Lost Control - Joy Division
Let's Do the Rock Steady - Bodysnatchers
Same Old Scene - Roxy Music
Canary In A Coalmine - The Police
That's Entertainment - The Jam
Games Without Frontiers - Peter Gabriel
C30, C60, C90, Go - Bow Wow Wow

Lame moment in history. Awesome music.

Distance: 3 miles
Route: Rec Center
Mood: good
Stretches: leg machine

The girl runs. The girl is fierce. The girl runs faster than I.

Everything I know is going to die.

Moving into another week. It's still only February, but the weather gives the illusion of spring. Many plans afoot, writing, editing, directing ... also cleaning, painting, moving, dusting, planning.

We can't fix everything. But we can always be fixing something.

2000 Playlist
It Wasn't Me - Shaggy ft. RikRok
Barok - Plastik - Stereolab
Everybody's Going to the Moon - Jamiroquai
Outer Bongolia - Stereolab
Frog - Nits
Alguém - Bebel Gilberto

So, Kevin Smith survived a massive heart attack. Gen X, you are on notice.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 36°
Climate: sunny!
Pavement: dry
Mood: all right

And by the way, Half Marathon training begins today.

Stretches: yes

Okay, it's getting tedious. A little on automatic. Neither fighting against the cold, nor basking in the warm. Just, okay, time to run again. Not ideal. Things are going well, don't get bored or lose focus.

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 171 lbs. (-0.5)
Goal: 170 lbs.

Saturday evening was a bit decadent. Swenson's fish sandwich and potato "teezers." Was it worth it? Sure.

However, my pants are no longer staying up without a belt. Progress.

Let me bust out at full speed.

Dazed & Confused (1993)

Such odd disturbances. Last weekend it was brain zaps (which have not reoccurred) and now, for the several days in a row, I have had an unpleasant tingling sensation on the end of my tongue.  It's like a numbness, but not really. I had salsa the other day and it made my tongue feel like it was burning. My family assured me it was not hot salsa, at all.

Head pains, mental disturbances, numbness on my tongue. What the hell is going on?

1976 Playlist
Shake Some Action - Flamin' Groovies
Boogie Fever - The Sylvers
Take the Money and Run - Steve Miller Band
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC
Let's Dance - The Ramones
Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult
Rich Girl* - Hall & Oates
Golden Years - David Bowie
Let 'Em In  - Paul McCartney & Wings

Major revelation on the run. There are scenes in the running play which make sense, but they are not clear. I found a point of clarity. Why do I run? I run for her, for him, for them. And what does that mean when I am being an idiot? When I am being selfish? How will that affect them? And I found action where that was passive.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 40°
Climate: overcast
Pavement: wet
Mood: all right

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 171.5 lbs. (-1.0)
Goal: 170 lbs.

Temperature's dropping at the rotten oasis.

We ate 'em.
But we didn't like 'em.

The rest of Tuesday was fine. No issues. There is pain, always. Different levels of pain or irritation. But running, when I stretch after, no longer debilitates me.

1996 Playlist
Return of the Mack (C & J Street Mix) - Mark Morrison
Broken English - Queue Up
Super Bon Bon - Soul Coughing
Older - George Michael
Devil's Haircut - Beck

Again with the cold and the hail and hurting and the heyyy.

Distance: 2 miles
Route: Neighborhood Loop
Temperature: 32°
Climate: hail
Pavement: slippery with hail
Mood: maintaining

Pace: 9:15
Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 172.5 lbs. (-0-)
Goal: 170 lbs.

Took mom out for dinner and a show last night to celebrate her birthday. Dined light. That's what I have been doing at restaurants lately, dining light. I'm sure the waiters hate it.

You got me tripping.

The girl can't help it.

So, I'm directing Troilus & Cressida this summer. Boy, what a piece of work. Acidic smartassery. Sometimes I think Shakespeare hated absolutely everyone, if you weren't Anglo-Saxon royalty, you weren't shit. It will be hard not to stage this sincerely.

2006 Playlist
Clumsy - Fergie
Eleven (Extended Club Mix)
Tracking Treasure Down
Dust In The Wind - Gabriel & Dresden
Punkrocker - Teddybears ft. Iggy Pop

Distance: 3.25 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 62°
Climate: breezy!
Pavement: dry
Mood: creative

Lots of thoughts about the solo show. Complete re-write, neat one hour. Answer all the questions. Intimate, audience of ten, surprisingly location. Probably in the summer. To raise money -- in case I need it -- for a race.

Pace: 8:49
Stretches: yes

Okay, so? I run faster in the warm weather. Will this hurt me, that is the question. Did my stretches, I will have to remember to record how the rest of this day goes.

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 172.5 lbs. (-1.0)
Goal: 170 lbs.

Popcorn for dinner. Deeply unsatisfying. Mall movies popcorn. Also, my teeth. Chewing strictly on the left side. Very unpleasant. Hate this.

I'm not as strong as I used to be.

Artwork: The Everlasting Ash

There is a side-effect to coming off of certain antidepressants which are commonly referred to as "brain zaps." They even have a fancy name, antidepressant discontinuation syndrome which leaves one with the impression they have no idea why it happens or what to do about it.

"This is the thing that happens when you discontinue antidepressants." Couldn't you at least put it in Latin?

Weaning myself from Lexapro I developed this syndrome, which can best be described as a moment of disorientation followed by a buzzing which feels like an electric shock only without the pain. But it is very unpleasant. My last recorded incident was six years ago.

Until yesterday. Yesterday afternoon I had them, a lot. They were pronounced as I had afternoon sleepiness, took a nap (they happened a lot during my brief nap) and as we prepared to go out for the evening.

They were not an issue all evening, or at bedtime. But when I was woken in the middle of the night they hit me again and again and again, making it hard to go to sleep. They they have not bothered me all morning.

What's going on?

1975 Playlist
Mama Mia! - ABBA
Sweet Transvestite - Tim Curry & Company
Young Americans - David Bowie
Life Is A Ministrone - 10cc
Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac
Ease On Down the Road - Stephanie Mills & Company
I Love Music (Pt. 1) - The O'Jays
Slow Ride - Foghat
Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To ...) - Queen

Dedicated to, indeed.

Distance: 3.75 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 38•
Climate: sunny and cool
Pavement: clear & damp
Mood: unresigned

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 173.5 lbs. (-1.0)
Goal: 170 lbs.

Went out with friends for a glamorous CLE evening at Adega at the 9. Managed not to drink too much, not to eat too much, and not to stay out too late. Adega was nice. The Vault is stupid.

Follow down the path of least resistance.

Who's up for this?

Fucking did it. Fucking signed up for the Cleveland Fucking Half Marathon.

1995 Playlist
I Wish - Skee-Lo
Hold Me Now - Elastica
Possum Kingdom - The Toadies
Consider This - Filter
The Flow - model 500
I'll Keep Coming Back - Chanelle
I'll Be There For You - The Rembrandts
Champagne Supernova - Oasis

The most 90s of 90s playlists.

Distance: 3.65 miles
Route: Noble-Taylor Loop
Temperature: 32°
Climate: cool, nice
Pavement: damp
Mood: working on relaxed?

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 174.5 lbs. (+0.5)
Goal: 170 lbs.

The boy and I gorged on sushi Thursday night. Slow and steady, guy.

I am raw material.

There always comes a day, and it's usually in the middle of February, where I'm just tired of running in freezing temps. Just don't wanna.

2015 Playlist
Wait For It - Leslie Odom Jr.
Angels - Chance the Rapper ft. Saba
Know Now - Public Image Ltd.
The Party Line - Belle & Sebastian
Run - San Cisco
A New Wave - Sleater-Kinney
Water - Ra Ra Riot
Snakeskin - Deerhunter
S.O.B.- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

It can be demoralizing. There is a lot going on, and narrow windows in which to exercise. The week is supposed to be above freezing, I hope I can get back to business.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 43°
Climate: cool & misty
Pavement: wet w/slush and puddles
Mood: determined

Last Saturday night was a bit decadent. as there was a birthday party in the house. I asked the boy to serve me one scoop of ice cream, which he festooned with caramel sauce, whipped cream and mini-chocolate bits. But I only had two slices of pizza that night.

Sunday, however, was hard. Too many snacks, available for the taking. Doritos, potato chips, cheese balls. Grazing more or less all day. Self-control is hard when it's all right there.

Stretches: yes

So I waited until today. I waited until after dark. After work, after I had made dinner -- after I had put dinner in the warming drawer. Because that was when the running was meant to happen.

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 174 lbs. (-0-)
Goal: 170 lbs.

Scenery freeze.

Spot the Vice President.

Missed exercise yesterday, too many other responsibilities. And one day off I think, I'll never get this back. Today was jam-packed with errands, but with a little from our friends, I had just enough time to get this run in.

Heading out, I thought there's no way. But I just kept going. I even took a hill. Just kept it close to home, always a right turn away. And yet I kept pressing on, in spite of the slush and the hail.

Maybe it's the Olympics. Maybe it was this playlist. Thanks again, boy.

2001 Playlist
19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) - Gorillaz
Tanto Tempo (Peter Kruder Mix) - Bebel Gilberto
Bird Watching At Inner Forest - Cornelius
Superheroes - Daft Punk
Hella Good - No Doubt
By Your Side (Ben Watt Remix) - Sade
Get the Party Started - Pink

Distance: 3.15 miles
Route: Neighborhood Loop
Temperature: 27°
Climate: light rain and hail
Pavement: crusty with snow, slippery with ice
Mood: driven

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 174 lbs. (-0.5)
Goal: 170 lbs.

I would like to celebrate the fact that I have lost six pounds since the beginning of the year. But I am reminded that I was 174 pounds at the start of last year. I made it to 163 pounds and began to gain again. This is, as they say, a marathon, not a sprint.

I'm slowing down. What can I do?

The tour is on the road, though there's also a lot of snow on the road. I hope we do not have any cancellations, it's hard enough dealing with the actor-teachers and their school closing than having to reschedule a performance.

Every day, another challenge. Good morning.

1981 Playlist
Never Say Never - Romeo Void
One Step Ahead - SPlit Enz
Talk To Ya Later - The Tubes
Computerlove - Kraftwerk
White Knuckles - Elvis Costello & the Attractions

Distance: 2.1 miles
Route: Neighborhood Run
Temperature: 20°
Climate: cold
Pavement: rich & slippery with newly fallen snow
Mood: determined

Someone angel plowed the Monticello sidewalks. Thanks for that. Still, hard going in the snow. Hard going, but strong. Going up inclines I walk, though, because when my foot slips it hurts.

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 174.5 lbs. (-0.5)
New Goal: 170 lbs.

The Caesar salad at XYZ is decent, and a go-to when I am trying to avoid the dreaded fried sandwich. Sometimes I add chicken, last night I added the "smoked" tofu. Fake smoke flavor is kind of gross.

Anyway, these are days of restraint. It makes me dizzy and not feel good, and that's not right, either.

Your time is running out.

Yes, queen.

Why run, on such a cold day? Because I can. Because I didn't exercise at all yesterday. Because of aerobics. Because of breathing. Not just stretching, but moving. That's why.

2012 Playlist
Boozophilia - Low Cut Connie
Blow Me (One Last Kiss) - Pink
Let's Go - Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo
Die Young - Kesha
I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift
Sex - The 1975

Woke headachy, had  logy, low-key morning. Ran two miles in the frigid cold, my headache is gone.

Distance: 2.15 miles
Route: Neighborhood Run
Temperature: 13°
Climate: cold
Pavement: slippery with new snow
Mood: determined

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 175 lbs. (-0-)
Goal: 175 lbs.

Celebratory eating is hard. Dinner party on Saturday night, Super Bowl party Sunday. I was moderate. I did all right.

At the back of my mind I think I'm winning.

Thank you, Prince Be.

Exercise is happening. Every other morning I get up and do ten minutes, sometimes fifteen. Also, drinking an entire glass of water first thing, wakes you up and clears your system.

Every other other morning, I run.

1992 Playlist
Television, the Drug of the Nation - The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
Model - Balanescu Quartet
Higher Power - Jonathan Richman
Suck - Nine Inch Nails
Disappointed - Electronic
I'd Die Without You - P.M. Dawn
Steam (Oh, Oh, Let Off Steam Mix) - Peter Gabriel
I Love You Goodbye - Thomas Dolby

When the first mix tape you create for yourself after getting married is in memory of past girlfriends, you need to take a hard look in the mirror.

Distance: 3.65 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 29°
Climate: cold
Pavement: crusty with snow
Mood: all right

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 175 lbs. (-1.0)
Goal: 175 lbs. Achievement Unlocked.

Last night I had popcorn for dinner. That's it. Popcorn and beer.

Like a dark horse see how she ran.

Active dreams. One playwright slagging another playwright. A family reunion. Weird, playful. My kid's friends delivering the mail. The wife has made an effort to get us something close to eight hours of sleep, which is great, it's what we need. However, I am not used to it, and wake up several times a night. Did I oversleep? No, I did not. It's only three.

1972 Playlist
Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
I Wanna Be With You - The Raspberries
Virginia Plain - Roxy Music
Reelin' In The Years - Steely Dan
Gudybuy T'Jane - Slade
Watcher of the Skies - Genesis

Doing my best to pack sensible lunches and not to shove food in my face when I get home from work. Yes, a handful of almonds, yesterday some off-brand Cheez-its -- but not many, right? The day before it was popcorn. This is slow-going, but I have to be mindful.

And no sugar. Well, except birthday cake, I had one piece of birthday cake on my daughter's birthday. One slice, small. And none of the leftover.

Distance: 2.55 miles
Route: Neighborhood Run
Temperature: 39°
Climate: cool, pleasant
Pavement: slushy, crispy,  & slippery
Mood: anxious

Is fifteen year-old Tinactin inert? Doctors say just don't but really, expiration dates are just a scam of Big Pharma. "Lather, rinse, repeat," my ass.

Stretches: yes

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 176 lbs. (-0-)
Goal: 175 lbs.

Slow and steady. Don't blow this.