What do you want to be?

What a day. Teaching classes, attending meetings, drawing cartoons, reading fcition, completing assignments, taking a short nap and even gettin a run in before taking an evening class.

What does it all amount to, I am no longer sure. But at least I am too busy to question.

Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 18:53
Pace: 9:27
Route: Two times around the block
Temperature: 72°
Climate: bright & breezy

Mood: anxious

Weight: 188.5 lbs. (-0-)

The weather is so windy these days. Extreme gusts, and all the time. It is distressing, and it makes me not want to open the door, which sucks, because the temperature is good. Anyway, brisk run. Into the wind.

1978 Playlist

Le Freak - Chic

I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones

My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars

Hanging On the Telephone - Blondie

Y.M.C.A. - The Village People

Overdose at Christmas. Give it up for Lent.

For the final project for my comics studies/queer theory class, I am creating a ten-page, hand drawn comic, adapted from a short play script about a comic book shop in the mid-1980s.

Every week I need to create one full page comic, and I have been doing that.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 35:16
Pace: 11:16
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 63°
Climate: bright, clear

Mood: i'm good

Weight: 188.5 lbs. (-0-)

The girl has spasmodic dysphonia, which often makes it difficult to breathe when exercising. Running can be a challenge, sometimes, as it was today. But she pushed through. The three of us, running through the park. 

1998 Playlist

You Get What You Give - New Radicals

Ray of Light - Madonna

The Way - Fastball

The Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim

Super Disco Breakin' - Beastie Boys

Body Movin' - Beastie Boys ft. Fatboy Slim

Millennium - Robbie Williams

Outside - George Michael

i run this shit like cardio (o damn)

Trying to rein in the consumption. I have been eating breakfast when I wake up, because it's enjoyable to eat. To eat breakfast cereal, with milk. It takes practice, but I try to wait until I am hungry, then eat. 

And to choose something good to eat, high in protein, to eat more green vegetables like my doctor recommended. And I did that on Thursday, for breakfast. A stew with potatoes and kale. It was delicious. So much better than chocolately cereal and milk, like I did the day before.

Less dairy, more protein. Fewer processed carbs. You get it.

Distance: 2.25 miles
Duration: 22:15
Pace: 9:53
Route: Horizon Loop
Temperature: 48°
Climate: overcast & cool

Mood: yeah, all right

Weight: 188.5 lbs. (-2.5)

Brisk and breezy. Nice.

2018 Playlist

Gold Rush - Death Cab for Cutie

Get Out - CHVRCHES

The Middle - Zedd ft. Maren Morris & Grey

IDGAF - Dua Lipa

All the Stars - Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA

I Like It - Cardi B ft. Bad Bunny & J Balvin

The Way You Make Me Feel - Janelle Monae

Twisting, turning, we keep burning.

Immediately following our run on Monday I came down with a serious case of allergies, I was sneezing and blowing my nose all night. Yesterday was slightly better. But, my goodness, that was unpleasant.

Distance: 5 miles
Duration: 50:13
Pace: 10:10
Route: Boulevard to Noble Loop
Temperature: 73°
Climate: sunny & warm

Mood: good

Weight: 191 lbs. (+1.0)

Oh, my lord. The places that boy will take me. A five mile run? Sure. He's moving up, I'm heading down. Had to walk twice. I mean. I am overweight. I am out of shape. And it is suddenly seventy degrees.

The goal is to make the eight mile run we used to do through the cemetery, around MoCA and home. I would run, he would bike. Now we run together, and he is killing it.

Just so long as it doesn't kill me.

1979 Playlist

I Zimbra  - Talking Heads

Ring My Bell - Anita Ward

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen

September - Earth, Wind & Fire

Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson

One Step Beyond - Madness

Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind & Fire

Does Your Mother Know - ABBA

Cleveland Rocks - Ian Hunter

Voulez-Vous - ABBA

Cool For Cats - Squeeze

Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb

Disorder - Joy Division

It's all disco, he said. And he wasn't wrong.

I told him something about John running and he was surprised. He says he didn;t know my father ran. I was shocked. It's not like I didn't write a play about it ... but that was along time ago.

Try if you can to walk like a man.

Recovered! Recovered? I think so. The boy and I did the park on this beautiful spring day. It's snow on Monday, but fuck it.

Yeah, maybe there will be races this summer? Who knows? Never done a 5K with the boy. What if the three of us ran one together?

What if the four of us did? Hah? What do you think about that?

Distance: 3.13 miles
Duration: 30:29
Pace: 9:44
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 72°
Climate: hot & sunny

Mood: very good, thanks.

Weight: 190 lbs. (-0-)

The wife and I got our first vaccinations last Wednesday. Perhaps the is the end of the beginning.

1999 Playlist

Smooth - Santana ft. Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20

Walk Like a Panther - The All Seeing I

Livin' la Vida Loca - Ricky Martin

Steal My Sunshine - Lem

Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters

Blue - Eiffel 65 ft. Gabry Ponte

All Star - Smash Mouth

Five Fathoms - Everything But the Girl

MAXIMUM END OF THE CENTURY

Got nothing to prove.

This is a test.

Yes! Ran through the park, the only thing that hurt was how tightly I had wrapped my calf. Still, ati-inflammatory and ice.

Checked some times in the park for the new script, and did a FB Live test, to see how shaky the phone would be, holding it while running. How long someone can hold the camera up while running, that is a question. It won't need to be for too long. I mean, not very long. A little long.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 32:19
Pace: 10:25
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 64° 
Climate: beautiful

Mood: determined

Weight: 190 lbs. (-0-)

Good news! We have an appointment to receive a vaccine next week!

2019 Playlist

Running Up That Hill - Meg Myers

Rolling - Michael Kiwanuka

Light On - Maggie Rogers

Rocket Fuel - DJ Shadow ft. De La Soul

See You at Your Funeral - Pup

Uneventful Days - Beck

Like a Girl - Lizzo

Juice  - Lizzo

bad guy - Billie Eilish

Old Town Road - Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus

You've been sitting much too long.

Pre-Srping in Cleveland! And my calf is injured. Took a beautiful day to rest, but I can't stand not working out in this weather.

I do have to admit, I am drinking too regularly again. It's not good for my health. More water, less alcohol. I'm getting my father's eyes, and it's not pretty. 

Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 19:16
Pace: 9:39
Route: Two times around the block.
Temperature: 70° 
Climate: warm!

Mood: all right

Not bad. A bit huffy, as it is warmer than it has been in months. My calf tightly wrapped, Iit was a bit stiff going, but there was no pain. I'll have to force myself not to run tomorrow.

1969 Playlist

Stand!  - Sly & the Family Stone

It's our Thing - The Isley Brothers

Son of a Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield

Down on the Corner - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Sex Machine - Sly & the Family Stone

I got a habit I just can't quit.

When its sixty degrees in early March, you take a run to the greatest year in popular music, I don't care how your leg is.

But it does pinch, a little. I took a solo run, slowly. Now I will stretch, take pain reliever, ice and wrap.

Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 20:39
Pace: 10:20
Route: Two times around the block.
Temperature: 63°
Climate: sunny!

Mood: good, you know?
Weight: 190 lbs. (-0-)

1989 Playlist

Express Yourself - Madonna

Waiting Room - Fugazi

Fascination Street - The Cure

Biting My Nails - Renegade Soundwave

Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode

Shake Your Rump  - Beastie Boys

Time Out

Yeah, I just tried taking a run with the boy. He lays down a lot of conditions, I'll tell you that. We don't listen to music, he wants to run further than I want to run -- and he sets the pace. I pulled the same muscle in the same place in my calf, we hadn't even gone a half-mile.

So, I need to stay off this for a little bit. It's a shame, it's supposed to warm up for a few days starting Monday.

Pull me back to the ground again.

We are the robots.

We have a special project. I need to write a twenty-minute "quarantine" play for craft & theory. It must somehow be presentable under the current conditions. I could write a Zoom play. I guess I could also create a performance by one person, for one person, under safe conditions.

What I have decided upon is a Facebook Live event. And it will involve running. As temps are (marginally) above freezing today, I think this would be an excellent day to map out some times.

Distance: 1.75 miles
Duration: 16:36
Pace: 9:27
Route: Forest Hill
Temperature: 36°
Climate: a bit nippy

Pavement: clear
Mood: all right ... until!

Weight: 190 lbs.

Except, ugh. I pulled a muscle in my calf. Perhaps because of all of the starting and stopping, to record times. Well, dammit. Just this *ping* and I thought, you know? I'm going to walk now. In fact, I'm going to call my wife and ask her to pick me up. And that's what I did.

But not before I got all the times recorded, so the morning was productive after all. I am currently propped up with ice, and having taken a super-dose of Ibuprofen.

2009 Playlist

Fascination - La Roux

The Fear - Lilly Allen

Uprising - Muse

Dog Days Are Over - Florence +The Machine

Halo - Beyoncé