Thursday, March 31, 2022

It's 7:00 AM! Move yourself to go again.

Pathetic Geek Stories

Oh! The pain! I was doing a lot of bending and kneeling in the kitchen last night, and I just didn't want to stand up. Also, sometime the muscles in my abdomen hurt, like where I had my hernia operation. This has been the case for years, I comes, to goes. When I am in shape, when I have been working my muscels, these pains do not happen (much).  When they go slack, they do.

I'm becoming an old man. Not yet. Getting there. How many more years of running?

Distance: 3 miles
Duration: 30:01
Pace: 10:00
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 60°
Climate: after the rain, sunny & perfect
Mood: good
Weight: 189.5 lbs. (+3.0)

All right.

Intake
Breakfast: coffee (2x)
Lunch: Galley Boy, potato teesers, fried mushrooms, milkshake
Dinner: toasted macaroni & cheese with bacon sandwich, beer
Cocktail: old fashioned, chocolate
Late night snack: Bowl of cereal
Also, Fizzy water (2x)

Good call, running early. The clouds blew in, the temperature dropped, the rain resumed. Might snow in the next day or so? Warm again next week. It was beautiful, though I changed up the route a little to avoid dogs and their walkers.

1980 Playlist
Too Many Creeps - Bush Tetras
Rapture - Blondie
Echo Beach - Martha & the Muffins
Coming Up - Paul McCartney
Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie
Same Old Scene - Roxy Music
The Magnificent Seven - The Clash

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

You're moving way too fast.

Ok, whatever.

Still not where I want to be. I need to run consistently, for maybe two weeks. I'll jog out, and start to lose my breath after a tenth of a mile. Eventually my breathing is no longer tight, and the rest of the run is good. But if I can stay with it. that initial anxiety and shortness of breath doesn't happen.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 30:55
Pace: 9:58
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 67°
Climate: overcast & perfect
Mood: good

Intake
Breakfast: cereal w/milk, coffee (2x)
Treat at the physical therapist's office: Twix Bar
Lunch: ramen w/egg
Snack: almonds
Dinner: BBQ squash, cole slaw, rice pilaf, beer
Dessert: boba tea

Candy bar? Before lunch? Man, you're not even trying.

2000 Playlist
Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols
Do It Now - Dubtribe Sound System
Uninvited - The Bostonians 
Renegade of Funk - Rage Against the Machine
It's Gonna Be Me - *NSYNC
Oops! ... I Did It Again - Britney Spears

Friday, March 25, 2022

Never, never ever stopping.

Nice doggie.
Regular running, in the morning I feel a kink in my left ankle, low pain in my right thigh, and lower back. What if I ate better, ran on a semi-daily basis, maybe did some core exercises? Would I breathe more easily? Move through space more easily? 

Also, my knee. My right knee.

Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 39:48
Pace: 9:57
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 42°
Climate: overcast, just before the rain
Mood: good
Weight: 186.5 lbs. (-2.5)

This is old guy, he walks a massive black, blind pitbull. He nipped me a couple years ago when I surprised him. I wasn’t paying attention. Guy yelled at me for surprising him. Still, I hadn’t committed a crime that was worthy of getting mauled. Seriously, I appreciate there are nice pitbulls, this isn’t one of them. Head like a bear trap and ready to use it.

Why don’t you like dogs, David? I don’t know, some people know how to take care of guns, too. But I don’t trust guns or their owners, either.

Anyway, I step out this morning. They are both at the end of my drive. The dog is off his leash. I wait for them to walk down the street, and run in the other direction. Blind, unleashed pitbull.

Anyway, that’s why the longer run. Also? It may be cold in the next couple of days. Also? Great playlist. If I wasn’t a runner, I question whether I would maintain this healthy diet of new music. Having children helps, also that I am unspeakably hip.

Intake
Breakfast: cereal, milk, banana, coffee (3x)
Lunch: ramen w/egg
Snack: cheese & crackers
Dinner: pizza
Also, fizzy water (1x)

I need to drink more water.

The wife says that's not a pitbull. It's bigger than a fucking pitbull.

2020 Playlist
Take a Chance - Naked Giants
Trouble's Coming - Royal Blood
We Go On - The Avalanches ft. Cola Boyy, Mick Jones & Karen Carpenter 
Levitating - Dua Lipa
Your Love (Déjà Vu) - Glass Animals
I Just Want to Dance - Sault
lucy - Soccer Mommy
This Is What You Did - This is The Kit
The Adults Are Talking * - The Strokes
Straight to the Morning - Hot Chip ft. Jarvis Cocker
Ordunun Dereleri * - Altin Gün

No, seriously. If you come at me saying you don't know any of these, it's not me, it's you.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

I'm calling you to dinner.

Last run, I began to feel pain in my back, the lower right side. It hurt before bed, too. I hope this does not bode poorly for the summer.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 33:22
Pace: 10:10
Route: Rec Center (treadmill)
Mood: good

So yeah, back on the treadmill. When they reopened the rec center, they put machines onto the track to maintain distance. Not bad, though. One of the new machines has a fan, which is nice. The last time I used a treadmill I noticed how overheated I get when I'm not moving through air. Wish the fan had been stronger, but I could tell a difference.

Also. Running in a mask? Not great. But I did it. "Mask optional - but recommended," the sign read.

Intake
Breakfast: red velvet cake & ice cream, coffee (3x)
Lunch: big ass salad
Cocktail Hour: Sweet Old-Fashioned
Dinner: quinoa salad

Okay? Okay. Finished the cake. Now this has to stop. So far my pants still fit, but it's a struggle. Now that Calvin's Day is past, I think we can say good night to Sugar Season ... until October.

2010 Playlist
Shutterbug - Big Boi ft. Cutty
Fuck You - CeeLo Green
Tightrope - Janelle Monáe ft. Big Boi
Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem
Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz ft. Ludacris
Dynamite - Taio Cruz
Firework - Katy Perry
Blow - Ke$ha

Monday, March 21, 2022

I know I'm the poop.

Thank you, Shock G.
Big weekend. Big weekend for eating. It’s that time of the year when I am anxious to run but unsatisfied with the temperature. Best to keep going, though.

Yesterday, I said (out loud) that I run to keep my heart healthy. The wife said that’s not why I run, and it’s true— I have had other reasons in the past for why I do run. But that one has taken precedence. 

I used to run to alleviate anxiety, but today I take drugs for that. Now I run to live and breathe.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 30:11
Pace: 9:44
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 58°
Climate: sunny & perfect
Mood: good
Weight: 189 lbs. (+2.0)

Intake
Breakfast: cake & ice cream, coffee (2x)
Lunch: broccoli quiche
Dinner: TBA
Also: Fizzy water (1x)

1990 Playlist
Metropolis - The Church
Do Me! - Bell Biv DeVoe
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) - Concrete Blonde
Rhymin' on the Funk - Digital Underground
Driving - Everything But the Girl
I Am Stretched On Your Grave (Apple Brightness Mix) - Sinead O'Connor

1990 music is so weird. Still in school, with one foot out the door.

Friday, March 18, 2022

I'm flying 'cross the land.

Naw, man.
If her daddy's POOR take her out for a meal.
The good weather coniues. I think it will rain next week. My knee has continued to be sore. Running on it is good, sleeping on it, not so much.

Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 19:04
Pace: 9:32
Route: Burlington Loop
Temperature: 52°
Climate: a little cool, just perfect
Mood: good
Weight: 187 lbs. (-0-)

Today my body said, oh. Three days in a row? But I'm tired. So I headed for a two mile. But that route is a steady incline until the last half mile. Also? Three tunes with massive BPM. I ran fast. Now my calves and shins are sore. Oops.

Intake
Breakfast: broccoli quiche, coffee (2x)
Lunch: pizza, tea
Happy hour: nuts, cheese & apple
Dinner: MR4, fries
Also: fizzy water (1x)

That quiche I made is freaking delicious.

1970 Playlist
Found a Child - Ballin' Jack *
Travelin' Band - Creedence Clearwater Revival
ABC - The Jackson 5
Paranoid - Black Sabbath
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) - Sly & the Family Stone
In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry
Come and Get It - Badfinger

* This song was sampled for Young MC's classic "Bust a Move".

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Head. Shoulders. Knees. Toes.

"Burn the Witch"
It's the breathing. That's the part most affected by time off the road, and weight gain. It takes a while for the lungs to acclimate to the change in heart rate and the aeorbic action. This will not always be the case, if I continue like this.

Missed the gym this winter. If the track we're clear I would have joined the rest of the family on the few trips they have taken there, and I would not be in the situation I am in now.

I said my knee hurt? In my sleep the other night? Yeah. This morning it hurt a lot. I need my knee braces. 

Distance: 3.75 miles
Duration: 36:36
Pace: 9:45
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 68°
Climate: fucking gorgeous
Mood: awesome, yeah?
Weight: 187 lbs. (-2.0)

Intake
Breakfast: coffee (2x)
Lunch: broccoli quiche, clementine (2x)
Happy Hour: Guinness, Shamrock Shake (same energy)
Dinner: TBA
Also: fizzy water (2x)

2016 Playlist
Cheap Thrills - Sia ft. Sean Paul
Lime Habit - Poliça
2AM - Bear Hands
Surf's Up - Psychedelic Pron Crumpets
Move - Saint Motel
You Want It Darker - Leonard Cohen
Burn the Witch - Radiohead
Run Sister Run - Cass McCombs
Good As Hell - Lizzo
Closer - Chainsmokers ft. Halsey

This was our eldest's eighth grade year. What happened?

They're coming home for the weekend. They asked to run with me. That makes me so happy.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Easy places to get away to.

Spring continues! Last night I was awake because my knee hurt. That was a drag, my knee hurting. It was a surprise. And someone has made off with my knee braces. Anyway, I did get back to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, the boy was concerned about the almost daily dose of melatonin I had been consuming through the fall and winter, and so I backed off. I haven't had a sleep aid in a week.

Well. Not if you cound last night's diphenhydramine (Benadryl) which I took because Monday night my face just started draining, and yesterday I was sneezing. It's a blooming festival of life out there! And I have allergies.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 29:59
Pace: 9:40
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 46°
Climate: sunny & nice
Mood: good
Weight: scale is broken (not kidding)

Intake
Breakfast: coffee (2x)
Lunch: spaghetti & meatless sauce
Treat: latte, Pop Tarts
Happy Hour: Guinness (2x)
Snack: cheese & bread
Dinner: broccoli quiche
Dessert: Oreos (4x), milk
Also: fizzy water (1x)

More water. Also, I was on a run of drive through meals and snacks, and that will stop now, for the duration. Only homecoocked meals, leftovers, snacks, etc.

1996 Playlist
F.N.T. - Semisonic
Soundtrack To Mary - Soul Coughing
Coconut - Fred Schneider
The Idiot Kings - Soul Coughing
Naked Eye - Luscious Jackson
Where It's At - Beck Hansen
How Bizarre - OMC
Whoever You Are - Geggy Tah

Semisonic deserved more hits.

Monday, March 14, 2022

The rhythm. The rhyme.

Holding out for nice weather. It's been cold, and I hate it. At the same time, you know. Global warming. Anyway, here were are again. It will snow in April. It always snows in April.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 30:36
Pace: 9:52
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 56°
Climate: gorgeous
Mood: good
Weight: 189 lbs. (+4.5)

I can't.

Intake
Breakfast: flapper pie, coffee (3x)
Lunch: squash casserole
Snack: Takis (1 serving, don't judge), clementine, almonds
Dinner: popcorn & beer
Also: fizzy water (2x)

Spring Break! Not really, I still have to work. But no class tonight! Gonna see a movie. Eat popcorn. Drink beer. Relax.

So, why do I feel so fucking tense right now?  

1976 Playlist
Taj Mahal - Jorge Ben Jor
The Rubberband Man - The Spinners
(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty - KC & the Sunshine Band
Boogie Nights - Heatwave
Get Up and Boogie (That's Right) - Silver Convention
Pastime Paradise - Stevie Wonder
You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls
Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
Rip Her To Shreds - Blondie

This mix was wow. Like, seriously. Pretty fucking incredible.

Sunday, March 06, 2022

The joy of repetition really is in you.

It is very breezy out, I fear for my life. But it's so warm out! Sacrifices must be made.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 31:24
Pace: 10:08
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 71°
Climate: very windy!
Mood: good!
Weight: 184.5 lbs. (lies?)

Wind holding me back as I ran out -- wind to my back on the way in.  I can deal with that.

I cannot run very fast when it's so windy, I also cannot run fast yet, because I haven't kept up, and because I am carrying a little weight. But I'll get there.

I may regret not having run further today, the temperature is due to settle back to normal, whatever that may be.

Intake
Breakfast: coffee (2x)
Lunch: chickpea soup, small SBJ on pita
Cocktail Hour: chips, beer (1x)
Poetry reading: cocktail
Dinner: pizza

2006 Playlist
Over and Over - Hot Chip
Life Is a Highway - Racsal Flatts
Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John
SOS - Rihanna
Cobrastyle - Teddybears ft. Mad Cobra
Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
Stupid Girls - Pink
Technologic - Daft Punk

Saturday, March 05, 2022

Doing all right. Getting good grades.

The clouds part. 
The sun shines again. 
We hit the pavement. 
Head held high.
One more day.

Distance: 3.5 miles
Duration: 34:46
Pace: 9:56
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 57°
Climate: gorgeous
Mood: all right
Weight: 188 lbs. (+4.0)

Intake
Breakfast: corn beef sandwich half, chips, pickle, coffee (2x)
Lunch: latte, big-ass chocolate chip cookie
Dinner: TBA
Also: fizzy water (1x)

1986 Playlist
Behind the Wall of Sleep [12" Version] - The Smithereens
Shellshock - New Order
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths
Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins
Lessons In Love - Level 42
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3
Left of Center - Suzanne Vega ft. Joe Jackson
Life's What You Make It - Talk Talk

Tuesday, March 01, 2022

Proving to the world it was wrong.

There be witches.
Great gosh amighty, I am laden with angst.

But tell me. When was the last time you ... party rocked?

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 31:09
Pace: 10:03
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 44°
Climate: cool, man.
Mood: all right
Weight: 184 lbs. (-1.0)

Spring cannot come soon enough for me. It took all my nerve to get dressed and get out there, and know what? It was lovely. Just got to be careful around the patchy snow and ice which remains. No snow or below freezing temps forecast for the next. So?

Intake
Breakfast: cold cereal w/milk and bananas, coffee (2x) 
Lunch: SBJ & milk
Dinner: TBA

This week my new play script THE WITCHES gets a workshop at Cleveland Public Theatre. Join us!

2011 Playlist
You Make Me Feel - Cobra Starship ft. Sabi
Breakthrough - Brigit Mendler ft. Adam Hicks, Naomi Scott & Heyley Kiyoko
Midnight City - M83
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
Money - The Drums
Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye ft. Kimbra
Ok - Beastie Boys
Ritual Union - Little Dragon
Rolling In the Deep - Adele

Took two months to run six times. I hope we can improve upon that.