A clock in my heart.

Summer will always take me back to my teenage years, and specifically the summer of 1983. It was kind of a big deal. So, the music. The "Sweeping Up at Grebe's" playlist is an epic for me, a real crossing over point, from what to what else I do not know. But the masturbation was compulsory.

Too much? I don't even care anymore. The staged reading this weekend was so rewarding, how do I capitalize upon that?

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 29:21
Pace: 9:28

Sweeping Up at Grebe's

Pleasure of Love (Instrumental) - Tom Tom Club

Promised You a Miracle (US Remix) - Simple Minds

Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners

Oblivious - Aztec Camera

Time (Clock of the Heart) - Culture Club

I Melt With You - Modern English

The Safety Dance (Extended Dance Version) - Men Without Hats

Yes, very important (especially on a morning like this one) to have chosen the music in advance. I did not have the bandwidth for much even after an hour of drinking coffee, water, and writing.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 57°
Climate: overcast & cool
Mood: all right

Big storms last night. We were spared the worst. Brought the temperature down. Light cool run.

I do not even remember running through the woods, at all. Most of this run I was way back in my subconscious.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 162 lbs. (-1.0)

The readings on Saturday were very special. I've been wanting to hear this play read before a live audience for years. And the laughter was full, the jokes were understood, and the story shocked. It rocked. People cared. And they believed. It was so rewarding.

What will happen?

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

Like a perp frozen in your headlights who forgot to run.

"Comedy of Errors"
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival

Big month for the writing. Progress on a new work, a reading today at Clague Playhouse, and a new publication!

Distance: 5.75 miles

Duration: 52:18
Pace: 9:05

Good habits. I still take the stairs, always. And I have incorporated a glass of water into my morning routine, every day.

Route: Forest Hill-Cain Park Run
Temperature: 74°→76°
Climate: hot!
Mood: good

... but a little headachy. Allergies? Slept too warm? This has happened twice recently. Don't care for it.

Still, awesome run. Juneteenth celebration starting up at Cain Park. People on the streets. And yes, a longer run -- I get IDEAS. I need to jot them down, but they are very helpful.  

New 2026 Playlist

Situation - Johnny Blue Skies

Switch Up - Mike D

Be Great - Jill Scott ft. Trombone Shorty

Hoes - LIzzo ft. Sexyy Red

Going Shopping - The Strokes

mangetout (the Dare remix) - Wet Leg

The Deal Pt. 2 - Aaron Tveit, Nicholas Christopher & the company of "Chess"

Riptides - Death Cab for Cutie

Victim of Luck - Metric

Somewhere Else - Tomora ft. Aurora & Tom Rowlands

Fabulous - Meek

Universal Soldier - Depeche Mode

Talk to Me - Robyn

Ready, Steady, Go! - Harry Styles

Maybe I'm the Reason - Dev Lemons

I have been writing, consistently, for two weeks. It has been a while since I have been or have had the capacity (i.e. time) to keep a consistent schedule of creation. Mostly it's been journaling, which I have to remind myself is also a good thing to do, but I also need to storyboard, to think about the world of the play, to create a backstory that makes the narrative make sense. Today I made progress on a very important scene, one which will be original to this adaptation, and provide a history to certain characters whose past is shrouded in myth in the original.

How did this place come to be? And how, in such a relatively short period of time? Why here, and now?

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 163 lbs. (-2.0)

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

Don't forget me when I'm gone.

Last day of camp for the week. Isn't that great? The week ends Thursday. I'll be in the office tomorrow, it will feel like a day off. The kids have been super, so far. The high school team is working on splash scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest. 

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:49
Pace: 9:18
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 73°
Climate: overcast & hot
Mood: all right!

Yes, morning run. Well done. I got eight hours last night, the first in some time (honestly, two nights in a row is too long) but I woke at 1 AM to jack up the a/c. I had a headache. I no longer do.

Forget About Me (The Breakfast Club Play) Playlist

Oh Yeah - Yello

Jerk - Olive Tree

Dream Montage - Gary Chang

Are You Ready for the Sex Girls - Gleaming Spires

Left of Center - Suzanne Vega ft. Joe Jackson

Garden Song - Phoebe Bridgers

If You Were Here - Thompson Twins

Sunflower - Post Malone ft. Swae Lee

Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) - Glass Tiger

We have been properly abstemious. I had a beer last night. One drink. Because I was writing and relaxing. I have told myself never to drink when I am making dinner, I'll just want another one.

Clear head. A little weary. Ready to face the day. 

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (-0-)

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: yes

Stay on the streets of this town.

Theater camp! So many moving pieces, and yet. It’s cool, you know? And it’s a great team. And great campers. I know it’s only the second day, but things feel healthy.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:35
Pace: 9:13

Last night we went to the game, we lost in the tenth. You know, they keep doing these things to pick up the pace, but they can’t speed up the time it takes to put in a pitcher.

And yet, I feel good. And the camp week is now half over. Funny how the time goes by.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 85°
Climate: sunny & hot
Mood: good!

Forget About Me (The Breakfast Club Play) Playlist

Don't You (Forget About Me) 12" Version - Simple Minds

March of the Swivel Heads - The Beat

Dancing in the Dark - Lucy Dacus

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths

She Plays Bass - beabadoobe

The Middle - Zedd ft. Maren Morris & Grey

Weird Science - Oingo Boingo

See You at Your Funeral - PUP

Got a Zoom rehearsal tonight for a public reading of a new play script this weekend. Made what the kids call an "inspo" playlist.

Stretches: does camp count?
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (-2.0)

Hot run!

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

I sense. I feel.

Pride weekend in the CLE. I thought of dropping in, but I have many things to do, many beautiful, creative things, right here at home. That, and the cat always wants to be outside these days. He used to rummage around in the tall grass, now he just wants to laze in the sun. Who can blame him.

Distance: 4.4 miles

Duration: 41:00
Pace: 9:20

Metropolis - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1984)

Love Kills - Freddie Mercury

Here's My Heart - Pat Benatar

Cage of Freedom - Jon Anderson

Blood From a Stone - Cycle V

The Legend of Babel - Giorgio Moroder

Here She Comes - Bonnie Tyler

Destruction - Loverboy

On Your Own - Billy Squier

What's Going On - Adam Ant

Machines - Giorgio Moroder

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 68°
Climate: light fluffy clouds & breezy
Mood: determined

Georgio Moroder's experiment in reviving this classic silent film has dated somewhat, the film is timeless but the songs aren't -- with the exception of his own instrumental themes. Machines is a very important track to me. 

Machines is 1984. It is the future. It is Metropolis. It's iconic. Timeless. 

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 167 lbs. (+4.0)

It's not just that we returned to drinking, those those calories are real. It's the junk food that comes with it and I ate a lot yesterday, a Saturday. I even had a stress dream about driving into a McDonald's (not like, crashing into it, I was driving my car down an aisle) that had a build it yourself burger bar that was utterly disgusting.

It gets worse, after building my burger I accidentally dropped it into a wastebasket and fished it out. That is how bad my subconscious feels about the dinner I had last night.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

It's great to see you but I'm running late.

Took a dip yesterday, I was so thrilled to wake up all alert and positive on Wednesday only to be totally exhausted by the end of that day and dragging my ass Thursday morning. But hey, you're not twenty-one anymore. I mean, in maturity, sure. But just because you have briefly stopped intoxicating yourself, you're not just going to reset.

Speaking of being twenty-one again, I choose College Music.

"Fields suck."

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:04 (no lights!)
Pace: 9:03

Four dry days. All right, then.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 78°
Climate: sunny & hot 
Mood: apprehensive

Time to make the calls.

College Playlist (1986-1990)

Monkey (Extra Beats) - George Michael

I Don't Want to Be a Hero - Johnny Hates Jazz

Kiss - Prince & the Revoilution

Begin the Begin - R.E.M.

Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix) - Depeche Mode

Guns in the Sky (Kookaburra Mix) - INXS

The Beaten(en) Generation - The The

Was It Worth It? (12" Mix) - Pet Shop Boys

Stretches: sorta
Water: yes
Weight: 163 lbs. (-1.0)

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

He running the game.

Twenty years ago, on June 11, 2006, I received confirmation that I had been accepted into that year's New York City Marathon.

"How the hell does one train for a marathon? I have books, and have consulted websites, and yet I am still trying to figure out how to work it into the schedule. Not the race, the training."

This language, or something very close to it, was used in And Then You Die. I was very aware that I would be directing, which is to say directing a production of HAMLET, directing a production of Hamlet ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN at the same time I would be deep into training.

"I am going to have to spend the month of September going to bed at midnight and waking up at 4."

And indeed, I was.

June 11, 2006 Playlist

All That She Wants - Ace of Base

Push It - Salt N Pepa

Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson

8 Mile - Eminem

The Way - Fastball

Crystal Wrists - Peter Murphy

Someday, Someway - Marshall Crenshaw

Let Go - Frou Frou

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:38
Pace: 8:54

These are the beautiful days. So often, we go straight from too cold and rainy directly to hot and torrid. These days are cool in the morning, but not too cool. Wrapped up on the deck, writing or reading, then parading about town in a light jacket. It's lovely.

And the runs are swell!

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 56°
Climate: perfect
Mood: very good

Two days dry. I think I woke for a moment in the night, and went right back to sleep. Slept until my alarm and woke refreshed, head clear, free of pain. It's a decision, the pleasant torpor of drink and drugs, or energy and awareness. I haven't wanted to be aware, for months. 

90s Pride Playlist

Finally - CeCe Peniston

Fireball - Pitbull ft. John Ryan

Red Alert - Basement Jaxx

Can't Get Blue Monday out of My Head - Kylie Minogue

It's My Life - Dr. Alban

Show Me Love - Robin S

Love Me Right (Oh Sheila) - Angel City ft. Lara McAllen

Okay, so? Not all from the 90s, I'm not mad.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 164 lbs. (-1.0)

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: yes

Make you feel like a queen on a throne.

Got to choose the playlist the night before, just got to. And what better way to celebrate the first day of June?

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:38
Pace: 8:54

And speaking of new beginnings, I need a detox. This last week -- no, let's be honest, for weeks, months, even, I have been drinking consistently, every night. At least one drink, but usually two. And since the wife has been out of town, there has been a nightly use of additional toxicants.

It is June, The school year is complete. You can rest now. And you need to prepare for camp. 

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 60°
Climate: perfect 
Mood: strong!

Straight back, full chest, tight stomach, head high, feels good.

80s Gay Club Party

Relax (Come Fighting) - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys

Express Yourself - Madonna

Love With Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

Stop! - Erasure

Boy - Book of Love

Groove Is In The Heart - Deee-Lite

Enola Gay - OMD

But seriously, I spent twenty minutes looking absolutely everywhere I went yesterday (inside the house -- I never left the house yesterday) from attic to basement and everywhere in-between, searching for my earbuds.

I gave up, resigned to eventually run without them, and returned to the book I had set on the deck ... and there were my earbuds, next to the book. No reason. Just took them outside this morning. Give them some air.

I really need to lay off the brownies. 

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (-0-)

What if no alcohol?

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

Life is short.

A chore-free Saturday. How far will we run?

Distance: 5.75 miles

Duration: 53:45
Pace: 9:20

The wife is having a tremendous west coast adventure (see photo) and I am celebrating the completion of the school year.

When she goes out of town, I have these fantasies of organizing and de-cluttering and that often lasts six hours on the first day.

As she is out over two weekends, not just one, I am hoping to accomplish more than usual. The weather has lifted my spirits.

Route: Forest Hill-Cain Park Loop
Temperature: 60°
Climate: ideal
Mood: good

Yesterday and today, I have felt pain across my chest. Not like "chest pain" but more like muscle pain, perhaps from overexertion, I do not know. After this run, I do not feel it any longer. 

High School Run (1982-1985)

Fantastic Day (12" Version) (152 bpm) - Haircut One Hundred

Since Yesterday - Strawberry Switchblade

Doctor! Doctor! (Phil Thornalley Remix) - Thompson Twins

New Religion (Carnival Remix) - Duran Duran

Don't Box Me In (160 bpm) - Stewart Copeland ft. Stanard Ridgway

Two Minute Warning - Depeche Mode

New Kind of Kick - The Cramps

Hello Again - The Cars

Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life - Indeep

What Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) (Unsocial Mix) - Wham!

Black Diamond - The Replacements

Baby I'm a Star - Prince & the Revolution

(You Can Still) Rock In America (165 bpm) - Night Ranger

I Confess - The Beat

Remarkable, a longer run, a slower run, a casual run, a beautiful run. The result? My mind went places it does not normally go on a shorter run. I started thinking about the future, not the past, making plans for camp, for the writing workshop, and also the Wilde scene work.

Exercise is good. Thinking is better.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (-0-)

If you watch a David Lynch movie before bed, don't be surprised if you have odd dreams.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

We did it again! Fifteen runs in a month. Consistency. Three months running, a streak I have not maintained since 2023, the last period when I would try to run every day. It is a conscious choice not to run every day (unless making up for a missed day) and it has kept me, for the time being, from injury.

Leaving me here on my own.

The days are full and occupied. I have something of a groove? The running, yes. And the writing, journaling mostly, but there's also the reading. Turning old ideas around in my head, trying to see something new, to interpret a classic story through a modern lens.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:42
Pace: 8:55 

Putting things away, throwing things away, selling them on eBay. Yesterday, I adjudicated the annual Shakespeare competition at a local independent school. That went well. Making phone calls, trying to learn new things about potential candidates.  

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 61°
Climate: beautiful
Mood: good!

"Can one confide oneself to somebody of whom one knows nothing but how his laugh sounds."

- "Metropolis" by Thea von Harbou

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (-0-)

Stayed up a bit too late last night, the kid came home from the studio and we sat up, just hanging out on the deck. Then Tiger wanted some 2:00 AM attention. Anyway, I didn't think I'd be up for a run this morning. But I am.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

What's That Lyric?

Cruel Summer - Bananarama

I need to choose what I am going to run to the night before. It is stressful trying to choose right before I step out. Not like big stress, but it brings me down. And it's not necessary.

Saturday run? High school music. I think.

Nice try. Get out the way.

One more week in the school year. Soon we will put this mess behind us, I hope. It's not even a full week, and yet. It feels as though a month is laid out before me.

Last night, I heard some reassuring words. Sometimes I lose faith. Sometimes faith is provided to me without my asking.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:53
Pace: 8:59

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 63°
Climate: gorgeous
Mood: let's go!

"Nothing happens in Metropolis which does not come to my father's ears."

- "Metropolis" by Thea von Harbou (See: Matthew 10:29)

Stretches: yes
Water: no
Weight: 165 lbs. (+1.0)

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

What's That Lyric?

mangetout (The Dare Remix) - Wet Leg

Wonder why you stopped getting high.

The wife has departed for points west, not to return for almost two weeks. The elder will join me in a day or so, but they have such a busy schedule I will still be largely on my own.

The school year winds to a close, there is so much yet to do. The question is whether I will be able to take advantage of my time alone to be productive, remain focused, and feel satisfied with how I am spending my time.

Distance: 3.2 miles

Duration: 28:35
Pace: 8:55

Prepared my first batch of cannabis brownies last night, yes, a 57 year-old man making the pot brownies. Would I be successful? I was. They hit after about an hour, I wisely took a modest sample because they turned out to be pleasantly potent. For the first time in many days, I slept well and long -- and still woke up before eight am. What a weekend! 

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 68°
Climate: partly cloudy & nice
Mood: mellow

"For the inventive spirit of man there is no Utopia: there is only a Not-yet."

- "Metropolis" by Thea von Harbou

"And if you use crack now ... get help now!"
- Jenny Lewis (1986)

Block Rockin' Weekend - The Current

Charles Bradley:

   Changes

   Heart of Gold

   Stay Away

Hank Williams:

   Your Cheatin' Heart

   Jambalaya on the Bayou (165 BPM)

   Honky Tonk Blues

Jenny Lewis:

   Red Bull & Hennessey

   Heads Gonna Roll

My shins, both of them, have been stressed. No doubt the result of a week spent on my feet, teaching three days of classes in schools. I will take additional ibuprofen and wear some bandages.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 164 lbs. (-1.0)

It's easier to manage my intake when I am alone. I set alarms for meals so I'm not thinking about it. But then I don't have to wonder; when does she get home? Six? Seven? Eight-thirty? We had dinner Friday night after 9 PM, of course I was snacking before then.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

Evel Knievel, you got nothing on me.

Beautiful days, busy days, dizzy days. Teaching in West Geauga, interviewing candidates downtown, Wednesday I visited my elementary school in my old hometown. Surprised its lasted this long, I have been wanting to see inside of it before it inevitably disappears.

Elementary School Run (1974-1978)

New York Groove - Ace Frehley

Young Americans (178 BPM) - David Bowie

When the Whip Comes Down - The Rolling Stones

Neat Neat Neat - The Damned

Peg - Steely Dan

#9 Dream - John Lennon

Riding the Scree (162 BPM) - Genesis

Come Together (160 BPM)  - Ike & Tina Turner

Distance: 63°

Duration: 27:48
Pace: 8:57

So it happens, it will be torn down, and very soon. It's an old building -- not as old as I thought it was, it was built in 1947, but still. Almost eighty. Weird to think it was only twenty-seven years old when I started attending that school in 1974. But then, 1974 is also ancient history.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 63°
Climate: damp
Mood: tired

They held an open house on Wednesday, and I am glad I heard about it. It was awkward conversing with fellow classmates -- elementary school classmates -- several of whom I have not seen since we graduated forty years ago this spring. I just wanted to wander the halls. It was a bit too much.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (-0-)

That was where I embarrassed myself during the utensil walk. That was where I shat myself doing sit-ups. That's the room where they taught me how not to lisp. That was where I told Tracy she was chopped. Where I learned that Santa's crystal ball was fake. Where I wrote on the mirror with soap and got sent to the office and saw the paddle with nails in it. Where we held the disco.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: TBA

Five years, from age six to ten, is all of your life when you are ten, and I spent them in that building.

Don't it get you moving?

Winding down the school year, lots of teaching, making up for those who walked out. My love departs this weekend, on a work trip (and side vacation) and she will be gone for two weeks. Have we ever been apart so long?

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 26:50
Pace: 8:39

The past several days have been hot! Today, it is cool. And I don't care for cool.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 51°
Climate: light rain
Mood: muddy headed

May 20, 2012

160-169 BPM Playlist

Where Nowhere Is - Hoodoo Gurus

I've Done Everything For You - Rick Springfield

Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles

Urinetown from "Urinetown"

I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston

Still Breathin' from "Warriors"

Classical Gas - Mason Williams

The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzie

I'm Alright - Kenny Loggins

I feel a bit aimless on day's like today, like I didn't want to run because it was cool. But it wasn't that cool, and the rain was very light. And I chose a bpm list, one which would keep me moving, just the right speed. And I ran back-to-back nine minute miles, which is just fine. Better than fine.

I fret over gaining weight. I must admit, I am also afraid of having chest pains (I have never had chest pains) and yet, here I am, running every other day and I feel great. What am I so worried about?

Stretches: 
Water: 
Weight: 165 lbs. (-5.0)

Ten years ago today, I ran my second marathon, and the first when I broke four hours. That day was too hot, too. Nothing is perfect.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: yes

Why do you feel so underrated?

In-person callbacks. I hope we all survive.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:49
Pace: 8:58

Make sure those earbuds are charged, my friend.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 71° 
Climate: clear & warm
Mood: hopeful?

Suddenly, summer.

Stretches: 
Water: yes
Weight: 170 lbs. (+7.0)

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

What's That Lyric?

Banquet - Bloc Party

Move your feet (to the rhythm of love).

Le Hoodoo Gurus third album, Blow Your Cool! was a banger that arrived during spring quarter my freshman year at Ohio University.

It was a hot and sweaty season, we spent a great deal of time out of doors, throwing frisbee, drinking beer, and hanging brain. 

This one played on boomboxes in the quad, out the windows of our dorms, and on my Walkman headphones as I tried, tentatively, to develop a running routine around South Green. 

Party Machine is the closer every album should have.

Distance: 4 miles

Duration: 36:02
Pace: 8:47
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 67°
Climate: overcast & warm
Mood: good!

The summer of 1987 was the peak of New Psychedelia. The trend had started a couple years earlier, with Talking Heads' Little Creatures and Prince's Around the World in a Day. 

But in 1987 (the 20 year anniversary of the "Summer of Love") we received Sgt. Pepper's on compact disc, and the Grateful Dead scored their first and only number one single. The Monkees were on tour for the first time since the 1960s, XTC posing as the Dukes of Stratosphear dropped Psonic Psunspot, tie-dye made a huge comeback, and we got this album. 

Flip your wig. Blow your cool.

Blow Your Cool! - Hoodoo Gurus (1987)

Out That Door

What's My Scene (167 BPM)

Good Times

Hell for Leather

Where Nowhere Is (164 BPM)

In the Middle of the Land

Come On

On My Street

Party Machine

Bonus: Miss Freelove '69

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 163 lbs. (-4.0)

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

Last night, I attended a high school alumni event, a bunch of us went to see The Outsiders. The show is pretty incredible, but I was even more delighted to see and catch up with fond old friends, and beloved educators.

It's been a Big Bay 80s week for me, I guess. Teaching at the middle school, visiting the beach (twice), this show, and these albums.

The echo machine ran wild.

US Cover

I have older brothers, and they have friends who became my friends and so I was into a lot of cool stuff many of my contemporaries were not, like indie movies from the 1970s, and some truly great albums.

One guy did a two-person, acoustic gig with his roommate /in their mod at O.U. which went over gangbusters for the twenty or so people who were in attendance, and I got a bootleg recording (yes, we can call it that) which I listened to a lot when I was a junior in high school.

Most of it was covers and they did a devastating take on the Hoodoo Gurus Dig It Up. It's not exemplary of their work, it's more of a novelty song, but it inspired me to pick up Stoneage Romeos, their first LP.

The Hoodoos had this funky retro garage band style, like Violent Femmes with more polish.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:24
Pace: 8:46
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 46°
Climate: bright & cool
Mood: determined

AU Cover

Stoneage Romeos - Hoodoo Gurus (1984)

(Let's All) Turn On

I Want You Back

Arthur

Death Ship

Dig It Up

Leilani

Tojo *

In the Echo Chamber

Oh, dear. The same casual racism toward Asians as evidenced in contemporary tracks like Turning Japanese and China Girl.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 167 lbs. (+1.0)

When do I just stop recording my weight?

Here’s the thing. I have been drinking a lot. Like, I feel like I have consumed more alcohol in the first four months of this year than I did in all of last year.

That’s how bad things are. Not at home, not with the world in general. Just to calm my nerves about my work. I still love everyone I work with. But it is so hard to manage all these thoughts. To rest. To sleep. To focus on one thing; a book, a movie, a conversation. It’s all too much.

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA 

Sit-Ups: TBA

Hey. Only fools rush in and only time will tell if we stand the test of time.

This week has been challenging. A post-Mother's Day ball game was less-than pleasant because the air was just a bit too chilly (we did defeat the Angels, however.) 

Then on Tuesday, I played substitute at my old middle school (not the same building, but like ship of Theseus, it occupies the same space) and, I'm not getting into this, but agreeing to let my colleague run the class they way she preferred meant I was standing for the better part of five hours.  

I came home and took a two hour nap, which is not my custom, it's not something I can do, sleep for two hours in the afternoon. But I was exhausted. This morning, I woke exhausted, but needed to teach a day-long Romeo & Juliet workshop at my spouse's former place of employment.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:23
Pace: 8:49

I thought I would be destroyed, but it was a lovely day. My throat burns from two days of talking, and I did take a twenty minute nap after work, but you know? Sometimes I feel better after a run.

Even when it is cooler than I would desire

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 51°
Climate: overcast and breezy, nice
Mood: driven

Prom 1986

Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen

Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs

Red Red Wine - UB40

If You Leave - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

These Dreams - Heart

Your Love - The Outfield

Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes 

Don't You (Forget About Me) 12" Version - Simple Minds

We have this mini-class reunion happening on Friday, so I was in a mood.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 166 lbs.

Here we go. Can we bring it back. We've been enjoying a lot of high calorie leftovers. Also, cake.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

Chase the rainbow's end.

Blew my Connections streak today. I'd like to think I did it on purpose, I mean, I kind of did, because I didn't care. I was ten days short of a year.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 26:35
Pace: 8:34

Get that? Every day since last May, I have been using part of my brain, fretting I would blow my streak. That's not a game, that's not enjoyable. That is a task.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 67°
Climate: light fluffy clouds
Mood: good

And it has affected my writing. I write in the morning. Spending the morning puzzling is not writing. It's not anything. I have been reading Barry Joseph's book on Sondheim's puzzling obsession, and the more I read it the more irritated I am. Sondheim spent so much time creating games and puzzles but also writing the great American musical.

165-174 BPM Playlist

Because I Got High - Afroman

You're the Best Thing - Style Council

Bitterblue - Cat Stevens

Boy in Luv - BTS

Past in Present - Feist

Magical Trevor - Mr Weebl

Take on Me - a-ha

Novocaine for the Soul - Eels

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 163 lbs. (+3.0)

It seems so specious, puzzling, you feel as though you are accomplishing something but it's just a diversion. Which is fine if you are also actually creating. He was, I am not. At least, not yet. I have plans. And part of that includes not wasting part of the morning puzzling.

Today, I wrote. And I had ideas. And though I am frustrated, it is a positive step forward.

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

Nice day, cleaning house, did the pre-show talk. The room was at capacity, good humor, I felt confident. Much better than, say, yesterday. And then a fast run! Like, really fast. Felt confident about that, too.

And last night we attended the game, which began in rain and ended with a Guardians victory! Cleveland!

Make your lungs hold breath inside.

Roger Daltrey at Woodstock, where they performed
almost the entire thing even though no one there
had heard any of it before.

We probably watched Ken Russell's film adaptation of Tommy (1975) in the early 1980s. I found it unsettling, which is only appropriate.

Distance: 4 miles

Duration: 36:09
Pace: 9:00

In the 1990s, a local theater produced the musical adaptation, and even cast an actual p*dophile as Uncle Ernie.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 53°
Climate: sunny! 
Mood: grateful

Tommy - The Who (1969)

Do You Think It's Alright?

Fiddle About

Pinball Wizard

There's a Doctor

Go to the Mirror!

Tommy Can You Hear Me?

Smash the Mirror

Sensation

Miracle Cure

Sally Simpson

I'm Free

Welcome

Tommy's Holiday Camp

We're Not Gonna Take It

You Better You Bet (162 bpm)

While it makes sense that Tommy would work as a musical -- it is entirely sung through, and comprehensible as such -- I believe the themes are so painful that depicting the story, visually, is unbearable. I can only enjoy the album.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 162 lbs. (-0-)

When I got home, I had zero interest in running, It was overcast and cool and windy and I thought, no. An hour later the skies had cleared and so had my mood.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: TBA

So, how to conclude. The first side was experiential, inside the mind of a traumatized child. Three expansive instrumentals. Side two is all plot driven. Brief, interstitial moments (Extra! Extra! Read all about it!) which propels the narrative to its conclusion. 

If I were listening to the entire thing I might find that sloppy -- a thoughtful, digressive musical journey, followed by a rush to tie up the plot -- but taken as two albums they are separate, and complimentary.

You're gonna hit the road.

When I was in the Twin Cities last month, I heard the finale to The Who's Tommy as part of the 1969 playlist. I have learned a great deal about the creation of this particular album thanks to Andrew Hickey and his 500 Songs podcast.

Distance: 4.25 miles

Duration: 38:45
Pace: 9:07

One of my brothers got big into this when I was maybe twelve years old. Sounds about right. I listened first, put the story together in my mind. It was very upsetting. But it made sense.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 58°
Climate: overcast & perfect
Mood: good

I felt that learned a great deal about abuse and trauma and how the mind works from this album, and it came at an appropriate time in my life. I mean, it is a simple story, simply told. Sometimes we need those. And I just love the music.

Tommy - The Who (1969)

Overture

It's a Boy

1921 (156 bpm)

Amazing Journey

Sparks

Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)

Christmas

Cousin Kevin

The Acid Queen

Underture

Perfect side for running, by the way. The entire thing. Very rhythmic but also a lot instrumentals to let your mind wander freely. The Hawker should go before Acid Queen, though. I think they changed that for the movie.

One of Hickey's observations is that it is difficult to follow because different members of the band - Daltrey, Townshend and even Entwistle - they take turns singing various songs without any consistency to which characters they are singing for. This never bothered me, because I couldn't much tell the difference between their voices when I first heard it, and just followed the words.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 162 lbs. (-3.0)

As for what it has to say about hero worship, I dig that, too. We are relieved and even joyful when Tommy overcomes his inability to respond to the world around him, but that's no excuse to become a self-styled guru and capitalistic huckster.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

Audition week. Audition month, actually. We don't always get things right just because we take more time. But it helps.

Next up: Disc Two!

The most alive I've ever been.

Friends and neighbors ... 60 Playlists for 60 Years.

2026 Playlist

The Arbiter - Bryce Pinkham and the Company of CHESS

NUEVAYoL (Live at Super Bowl LX) - Bad Bunny

The Great Divide - Noah Kahan

drop dead - Olivia Rodrigo

Dopamine - Robyn

Dry Spell - Kasey Musgraves

Dance No More - Harry Styles

Stampede - Genesis Owusu

Punk Rocky - A$AP Rocky

Yep, we saw Chess on Broadway at the end of last year and it was a good time, but most of what I really loved about it is not to be found on the original cast recording. Pinkham is a gas but he's not the best singer which is evidenced in this recording. The thing is, on stage that's part of the joke -- Me? The Narrator? I get a song? Oh, my!

I'd really like them to make available the single The Arbiter (I Know the Score) performed by Björn Skifs, a re-recording of the concept album version that includes a third verse:

As you settle down behind your pawns, power passes to me

You can play like Fischer, Karpov, Euwe, and Tal combined

I won't mind; please feel free

They all thought they were "the big fromage", but they don't have my clout

I control the match; I start it, I can call it off

Kasparov found that out

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:20
Pace: 8:49

Audition month. End of season. Beginning of new things. One day we will move beyond oh who am I kidding, that day will never come. Rather, let us embrace the generosity of now. My family, our home, our cats. Health, privilege, time.

And I can still run. This will not always be so.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 58°
Climate: just beautiful 
Mood: all right

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (-0-)

It takes 1/3 of a year to do the annual playlists, so "this year's list" doesn't represent the entire year, and yet. Pretty hot, right?

Also, I heard Olivia Rodrigo's new single drop dead for the first time on SNL just last night.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

What's next?

Don't you run away now.

Twenty years ago, on May 1, 2006, I described how our elder child was "in training" in preparation for for a one mile run that weekend. They were three. Whose idea was it for them to train? I have a feeling it was theirs.

Playlist:

Every Day Is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:48
Pace: 8:58

Fifty years ago, we were celebrating the Bicentennial.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 44°
Climate: brisk & beautiful
Mood: okay!

1976 Playlist

Let Your Love Flow - The Bellamy Brothers

Knowing Me, Knowing You - ABBA

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - Warren Zevon

Gonna Fly Now - Bill Conti

Squonk (170 bpm)  - Genesis

I Wish - Stevie Wonder

A Fifth of Beethoven - Walter Murphy

Pinball Number Count (164 BPM) - The Pointer Sisters

Stretches: yes
Water: yes 
Weight: 165 lbs. (+4.0)

Ow. Cold air made my ears hurt.

Planks: TBA 
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

My heart is aching.

Body by Perrier

Forty years ago, I would run occasionally. Honestly, it wasn't much of a thing. I was dating a young woman who had first inspired me to run when we were in middle school together. She's call and ask if I'd like to go for a run and we would run. 

Distance: 3,1 miles

Duration: 27:58
Pace: 

Actually we would run a little bit and then walk and talk. It wasn't dating in middle school, but it was romantic as fuck. When we actually went out, in 1986, we did all kinds of things, but running wasn't one of them.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 52°
Climate: overcast w/light rain
Mood: maintaining

Slight headache this am, would love to have slept longer. Never thought I would actually get out, but once again, the moment I started moving I was in love.

1986 Playlist

Oh l'amour - Erasure

Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys

Left of Center - Suzanne Vega ft. Joe Jackson

Shellshock - New Order

I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You) - Grace Jones

September Gurls - The Bangles

Gyneco zèbre - Gabriel Yared

Come On Home (Extended Mix) * - Everything But the Girl

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 161 lbs. (-4.0)

Is it? Really? I have been grazing, a lot. A lot of little candies at work. Chip bags now, that has to stop. I eat well, but OH! The junk food.

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

Fifteen runs in April. Well done. A consistent year, so far.

Did you get off on a bad foot, baby?

Content advisory: Discussion of D's.

D's what? Deez nuts.

Thirty years ago, I would run occasionally. I weighed somewhere between 180 and 190 pounds, still smoked, and would huff my way around the neighborhood dressed in a cotton T-shirt, cut-off sweats, and traditional cotton briefs. No special gear, even the shoes were several years old at this point, and much too small.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:27
Pace: 8:51

I started feeling pain in my lower abdomen and was worried I had developed another hernia. The doctor told me I had a varicose vein in one of my testicles. She found it, manipulated it, held onto it for a bit, all while telling me her diagnosis. It was excruciating. I had to ask her to please let go. She wasn't my doctor for much longer.

So, I started wearing compression pants. It was depressing, and I feared I would have to wear them for the rest of my life, but this was not the case. Maybe a couple years? Can't remember. What I know is this; the condition is exacerbated by a lack of support, so I never wear boxers, and try to find briefs which are just a little too tight. 

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 54°
Climate: beautiful
Mood: getting there

And when I started training for the marathon (ten whole years later) I purchased my first athletic supporter. Ever. I was thirty-seven. Everyone with junk, even a casual runner, should invest in one, early.

I have also found that additional weight can also contribute to this discomfort. This is an additional reason why I obsess about keeping it all under 165. 

1996 Playlist

Ugly Stadium - Tipsy

Star People - George Michael

Shadowboxer - Fiona Apple

Single (Photek Remix) - Everything But the Girl

Backpedal - Queue Up

Soundtrack To Mary - Soul Coughing

Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison

Man. The 1990s. That was wild.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (+4.0)

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

Get it.

Everybody, let's move.

So that happened.

Twenty years ago, I was in pre-training preparation for my first marathon. Scheduled training would begin in July. By April I was already running much more than I ever had in the past (and keeping a log of every run right here) and had developed shin splints.

It felt like running on broken legs. I found shin bandages -- which I wore upside-down the first couple times -- iced my legs after every run, and eventually found exercises which helped strengthen the front of my shins.

At the time, a friend said, "Oh no, shin splints. Those never go away." She was wrong. Lots of people were wrong about all sorts of things as I continued my training.

I also mused about how I would have water to drink as my runs got longer. So many things to learn!

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:09
Pace: 9:04

A Saturday entirely to myself. No work related responsibilities. No evening plans. The elder is in Cincy, the wife at the store, and it's Independent Bookstore Day. And I am home, doing laundry, cleaning house, listening to podcasts, and enjoying myself. And now I will run, on this cool, damp day in April.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 49°
Climate: overcast, cool & damp
Mood: driven

2006 Playlist

Another Sunny Day - Belle & Sebastian

Tracking Treasure Down - Gabriel & Dresden

Punkrocker - Teddybears ft. Iggy Pop

Say It Right - Nelly Furtado

Everybody Ona Move - Michael Franti & Spearhead

Bad Ass (Rogue Element Mix) - Crystal Method

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 161 lbs. (-4.0)

Keep going.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

Light a fire, hit and run.

Actual work conversation yesterday.

What a decade it has been. The kids are quick to point out it wasn't a great world when Obama was president, but at least there was a certain degree of accountability and considerably less bullshit.

Or not. I don't know. I suppose this was inevitable. It's going to be quite the Semiquincentennial this summer.

Distance: 4.2 miles

Duration: 37:29
Pace: 8:55

Here is some good news. I did not believe I would have much going on this calendar year, as far as my writing was concerned. But I have produced a commission (which will be performed tomorrow), there will be a first public reading in June, a remount of a fringe show at the end of October, and this week's big surprise, the publication of one of my very favorite scripts!

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 64°
Climate: beautiful
Mood: angsty

On Tuesday, The Current was commemorating the tenth anniversary of the death of Prince Rogers Nelson. I mentioned this fact to our elder child and they said, "It been only ten years?"

Indeed.

2016 Playlist

Classic - The Knocks ft. Powers

Thank God For Girls - Weezer

Subways - Avalanches

New Song - Warpaint

Rebel Heart * - The Shelters

We The People ... - Tribe Called Quest

Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd

Troublemaker Doppelgänger * - Lucy Dacus

Cards - Company from "American Psycho"

Have Some Love * - Childish Gambino

You Don't Get Me High Anymore - Phantogram

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (+4.0)

Okay, you know what. Geez.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: TBA

We have not been doing the upper body work. This is not just laziness, I can't remember one day to the next and staying focused is an issue. I'm doing my job, and that's without much passion or interest, because I'm so disappointed. It's temporary.

Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain.

Never celebrate early.
Joshua Jackson passes Carson Mello
to win the Delaware Marathon
4/19/2026

Twenty-seven years ago yesterday two students committed an act of terror at one Colorado high school, and since then nothing has changed. In fact, it's gotten worse. This is not a good country. And it was never a great one.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:12
Pace: 9:06

DOGBERRY:
But, masters, remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass.

- Much Ado IV.ii

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 67°
Climate: overcast & warm
Mood: all right

1967 Playlist

The Beat Goes On - Sonny & Cher

All Tomorrow's Parties - The Velvet Underground & Nico

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher - Jackie Wilson

(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone - The Monkees

Here Comes My Baby - The Tremeloes

Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane

I Think We're Alone Now - Tommy James & the Shondells

Windy - The Association

Up, Up and Away (160 BPM) - The 5th Dimension

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 161 lbs. (-4.0)

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

We are in the homestretch. Six runs to complete the list.

How can someone so young say words so sad?

Drive like your kids.

Take the note, guy.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:33
Pace: 8:50

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 47°
Climate: sunny & cool
Mood: I mean

1987 Playlist

Ahead - Wire

The Perfect Girl - The Cure

The Badger Song - The Dead Milkmen

The Dead Heart - Midnight Oil

I Don't Know - The Replacements

Heartbreak Beat - The Psychedelic Furs

Sheila Take a Bow - The Smiths

Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (+5.0)

Hold up, wait.

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: yes

Hers is a tonic while mine is a gin.

Connections, 4/17/2026
I got this immediately. Is that bad?

Seriously, though. This school year has to end. And I need to stop eating fast food, I need to plan ahead. 

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:20
Pace: 9:07

Also? I need to stop doing the NY Times daily puzzles. I am committed to a year-long streak of Connections, and have a month to go. And I got into Wordle, though that one isn't as important to me (though I have a 100+ day streak in that, too).

This means the first thing I do every morning is look at my phone for five to ten minutes. And then I am without any kind of motivation. I used to write first thing, now I puzzle. And I haven't written anything new since I completed the Marbury play a couple months ago. 

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 70°
Climate: overcast & coolish
Mood: not great

Beat the rain by minutes.

2007 Playlist

Ice Cream - New Pony Club

Get Innocuous! (Soulwax Remix) - LCD Soundsystem

Flathead - The Fratellis

Apologize - Timbaland ft. OneRepublic

Don't You Evah - Spoon

Love Will Tear Us Apart (158 BPM) - José González

1973 - James Blunt

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 160 lbs. (-6.0)

Saw Barns Courtney last night at the Grog Shop. And between four in the afternoon and midnight I had far too much to drink. Spent the morning in bed. I have systems. I can be in control. But this week has been a mess. That's not an excuse, merely an explanation.

Great run. My head ached before I went out, it aches now, But while I was outside and running, I felt great. Maybe I should just run fr the rest of the day.

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA

I feel so strong now.

Home again. Rainy day. Funny how a 64° morning, after a spring rain, can feel cooler than a dry 56°. Maybe it's the moisture in the air? 

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:57
Pace: 9:20

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 64°
Climate: damp. nice.
Mood: all right

Last night, depression. This morning, better. I was awake for about an hour in the middle of the night, just when I would distract myself from one concern, another would take its place.

1977 Playlist

New Rose - The Damned

Love → Building on Fire  Talking Heads

Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment - The Ramones

Point of Know Return - Kansas

Pulled Up - Talking Heads

Deacon Blues - Steely Dan

Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel

Dust in the Wind - Kansas

Good run, though. Lovely, après le déluge.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 165 lbs. (+3.0)

This is not a surprise. Lot of fast food, restaurant food, Maria's delicious, calorie-dense breakfasts. I need to eat at home, be mindful of portions, choose the salad, etc.

Planks: TBA
Push-ups: TBA

Sit-Ups: TBA