Back to the Treadmill

I ran two miles yesterday at the gym. This took as much time as about four songs on the iPod: "You Never Even Call By My Name," one of the Beastles/Beastie mash-ups, "How I Could Just Kill A Man," and "Cochese." After the three runs since Saturday, I'm already developing the tell-tale muscle divots on my hips. My ankles hurt today, oddly enough. I expected to feel it more in my shins and calves. I'm excercising on alternate days to give my body a chance to rest up. I returned home to make fried chicken, and we crashed a little early.

Picture of the Day


The above is part of a campaign to build a 911 memorial.


In the News
From The New York Times: "Richard L. Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state, has acknowledged that he was the person whose conversation with a columnist in 2003 prompted a long, politically laden criminal investigation in what became known as the C.I.A. leak case, a lawyer involved in the case said on Tuesday." The prosecutor is not charging anyone with disclosing the identity of the operative, so Armitage will face no charges unless he lied to a grand jury.

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Two million dark chocolate M&Ms are offered in exchange for The Scream.

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Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld are taking an offensive stance in their current speeches, claiming we are at war with fascism, and war critics are harming America. The term "Islamo-fascism" grew through talk-radio use as hosts tried their damndest to paint a struggle with terrorism as the Third World War or, at least, compare the current administration favorably to Churchill (but, interestingly enough, not FDR, the Democrat president at the time). I don't buy it. Terrorism is not an enemy but a tactic. You may as well wage war on pessimism. None of this can be shocking given that we're two months from the midterm elections. It also helps the above guys that the fifth anniversary of 911 occurs between now and those elections. But waving that bloody shirt also reminds people that Bush himself said last week that Iraq had nothing to do with 911. The election is forecast as a barometer of consensus toward the Iraq occupation, but even if Democrats take over the Congress, there's no suggestion that Bush will change his administration's tactic of sidestepping Congress to continue its policies.

The Mower Doesn't Run But I Do.

I checked the mower last night to see if I could find a clue as to its failure. The engine is smothered in oil. Not a good sign. The spark plug was crusted with burnt oil, and the air filter is drenched in it. I cleaned them both, but again couldn't get the machine to crank. When Travis came over last night, I asked him about it, and he immediately called up his dad. He said the valves were opened when the mower was turned on its side (I had to clean out the blade region), but if I remove the plug and yank the starter chord, this should move the excess oil away from the engine. I'll try that tonight. If it doesn't work, I've got the number of a local repair guy.

Because my evening was now open (and Your Sis was at school until 10 p.m.), I had time to run. I ran a little Saturday, just around the neighborhood to acclimate my knees to pavement shock. I have two months to prepare for the Halloween 5K, a run that features a bitch of a hill. Luckily, my neighborhood is a series of hills piled upon each other, and I can practice near the house. But yesterday I wanted to know if I could run anything close to 5K. I went to the gym, climbed aboard the treadmill, and launched myself with the new iPod in hand and ear. I did pretty well, at least 2 miles before my towel accidentally activated the emergency exit and killed my groove. That's not a bad distance for my first longish run in some time. If I can get myself used to road running, I think I can do this. I discovered that I could reduce my leg pain by running faster on the treadmill, a feat aided by a mix of Queen, Radiohead, and Nine Inch Nails. I've also been advised to get better running shoes by folks online.

Picture of the Day
Crazy Arnold head from a Japanese ad



In the News
Scientists at SUNY claim to have discovered a memory molecule in the brain.

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Told ya the guy who confessed to killing JonBenet was a whacko.

Mow No Mo'

My lawnmower is giving me fits, and the lawn is becoming jungle-acious. My mower repair skills are weak, and this sucker is pretty old for a mower. I bought it in 1996, I believe. I think ten years is a fine tenure for a mower that's gone through four lawns. However, I wouldn't be against a reasonable repair price. The trick is getting to a mower Jedi when I have to drive to Asheville on weekdays. It might not be until Saturday before anyone can look at it. Meanwhile, my lawn might swallow the house.

While discussing Rosemary's Baby, the 1968 horror film about a woman carrying the devil's child, Your Sis commented that it probably helped sway the decision on Roe v. Wade just five years later. I never thought about it like that, but it makes a type of sense.

This weekend was pretty low-key, although I did see Brevard College's first football game in 50 years. We lost and lost badly, but this is essentially a high-school team. The coach came from high school, and the quarterbacks are all freshman. I can't imagine Brevard could summon forth great football players from other established teams. Anyway, it was fun seeing college football even on this small scale. We arrived just as the team left the lockerrom and take the field, and I admit I got the tingles. I intend to see as many games as I can; they play at the high school and it's RIGHT THERE. I have no excuse not to go.

Moving Picture of the Day
Conan O'Brien's opening montage from last night's Emmys.

In the News
I used to consider myself a fairly TV-hip guy, but I've seen practically none of the Emmy winners. Not "24," not "The Office," and not "Amazing Race." We used to watch "Law and Order: SVU" almost every day on USA. I'm glad Alan Alda won for "West Wing" as he did a fine job there.