bmi at 22.6 now. not sure these numbers matter as if i lost another 14 pounds i would drop to 20.8. i would be pretty skinny then for sure, but would never be able to eat again. it is time to decide to just not eat like i have been. to get any decent amount of food in me and not be hungry i need to give up the diet coke, whose caffeine makes you hungry and eat even more fruit and vegetables and salad. we try here in the uk but it is very, very hard to find them. mostly decent grapes and bannanas, which are not as expensive as many things.
anyway, the start of another day. will stretch today and do some light lifting with what weights i have - back later .
Thursday, January 31, 2008
day off- 1/31/08
woke up to horrible weather after going to sleep at 4am and so finally after 23 days in a row i decided to take the day from running. was going to walk up to the market but it is really pouring out and with 25-30 mph winds there is no need to go just yet.
spent the time catching up on business stuff and decided i need to start keeping a ledger for my activities. still cannot find a way to fix the norton stuff and get certain videos to work. why does bbc videos work but not msnbc? sure there is a simple explanation, but when you don't know, you don't know.
have 11 runs of 10-12 miles in the last 30 days but it has been 32 days since i ran a 16 miler. have averaged a little over 8 miles a day in that time in keeping with my average of 58 miles a week since we have been in the UK. - 6 months now. the 22 x 100 yesterday was decent and will need to firm up a better schedule, but it may be easier once the sun is up more and it rains less.
time to get going on things. for now though -listening to the rain just beating down on the porch roof and the wind howling and knocking over trash cans, will stay inside. the next few days look really iffy and now would be a good time to have my lifecycle and treadmill here. less than 180 days to go.
yesterday when i was running i came off of the canal over the side channel bridge, always a pretty spot, and came upon a woman in the warrior pose i think it is. probably not though as she looked like she could stay in that peaceful looking pose forever. time to get back into yoga i think. less golf and more of other things, but that could be the golf frustration gods talking.
like others i find golf a really up and down adventure. i can be really good at it and then suck the next day. not really suck, but be more like a twenty handicapper than myself. i have started and will continue while i am here to find out why that is. the difference is really amazing and if i sucked all of the time i could just live with that, but somedays i am a 7 handicap and somedays an 18. only answer so far is that some days i am tighter and cannot make the good turn away from the ball and my legs are not there. could be running related of course and will match up the runs vs. golf stuff for awhile and see how it plays out.
can you hear the wind howling now? incredible! it looks like night time though it is mid morning.
spent the time catching up on business stuff and decided i need to start keeping a ledger for my activities. still cannot find a way to fix the norton stuff and get certain videos to work. why does bbc videos work but not msnbc? sure there is a simple explanation, but when you don't know, you don't know.
have 11 runs of 10-12 miles in the last 30 days but it has been 32 days since i ran a 16 miler. have averaged a little over 8 miles a day in that time in keeping with my average of 58 miles a week since we have been in the UK. - 6 months now. the 22 x 100 yesterday was decent and will need to firm up a better schedule, but it may be easier once the sun is up more and it rains less.
time to get going on things. for now though -listening to the rain just beating down on the porch roof and the wind howling and knocking over trash cans, will stay inside. the next few days look really iffy and now would be a good time to have my lifecycle and treadmill here. less than 180 days to go.
yesterday when i was running i came off of the canal over the side channel bridge, always a pretty spot, and came upon a woman in the warrior pose i think it is. probably not though as she looked like she could stay in that peaceful looking pose forever. time to get back into yoga i think. less golf and more of other things, but that could be the golf frustration gods talking.
like others i find golf a really up and down adventure. i can be really good at it and then suck the next day. not really suck, but be more like a twenty handicapper than myself. i have started and will continue while i am here to find out why that is. the difference is really amazing and if i sucked all of the time i could just live with that, but somedays i am a 7 handicap and somedays an 18. only answer so far is that some days i am tighter and cannot make the good turn away from the ball and my legs are not there. could be running related of course and will match up the runs vs. golf stuff for awhile and see how it plays out.
can you hear the wind howling now? incredible! it looks like night time though it is mid morning.
anyway- read the article in the ny times about exercise and aging and how intensity is better than just doing more. they say to do it less and do it harder to fight off future losses as much as possible. i like the combination, but recognize i will have to do less mere miles as i do more track work, but when i am home that is when the bike comes in. since i am doing 250 miles a week less here on the bike it is no wonder the legs feel like they do and i cannot make up that calorie loss by just doing more running/walking.
broke down yesterday and bought a new pair of running shoes. no choice really as i could not wait to get back home and i need to throw away 2 of the pairs i have with me. still, at $170 rather than the 90 they would be at home, i just sort of did it and didn't look back until this moment. what choice was there. have ordered more from pacers and will bring them back next time. it really does seem like play money.so why has spell checked stopped working?
somewhat political rant but not by me mostly
And David Swanson caught something that no one else appears to have:
On the day of the State of the Union, apparently hoping nobody would notice, President George W. Bush posted a statement on the White House website announcing his intention to violate major sections of the Defense Authorization bill that he just signed into law.[..]
He’s decided to close the office that handles Freedom of Information requests from Congress. He’s left Blackwater free but jailed citizens who reenact its crimes. He’s rewritten government reports on global warming. He’s blocked his Justice Departments investigation of political hirings and firings, while the former governor of Alabama begins his eighth month as a political prisoner. He’s delivered a State of the Union address packed with the same contemptuous lies as last year’s, and announced the seizure of new powers (which Congress greeted with applause). And then there’s the latest signing statement.
This statement announces in the by now familiar coded language of the “unitary executive” Bush’s intention to violate four key sections of a bill he is simultaneously making “law.”
CQ Today sums up these sections as follows:
“One such provision sets up a commission to probe contracting fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another expands protections for whistleblowers who work for government contractors. A third requires that U.S. intelligence agencies promptly respond to congressional requests for documents. And a fourth bars funding for permanent bases in Iraq and for any action that exercises U.S. control over Iraq’s oil money.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Dems are planning to start crafting campaign narratives surrounding John McCain, I might recommend an obvious one: the senator appears to have temperament issues. Investor’s Business Daily, a conservative economic publication, asks this week, “Can McCain Control His Temper?”
John McCain claims his temper is not an issue. “I don’t think I would have the support of so many of my colleagues if that were the case.” Who are these supportive colleagues?
They certainly do not include Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Over the weekend, he announced he cannot endorse his colleague for the White House and is endorsing Gov. Mitt Romney instead.
“The thought of him being president sends a cold chill down my spine,” Cochran said. “He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”
Perhaps Cochran can’t appreciate the maverick in McCain. But the same can’t be said of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a noted reformer and friend of whistle-blowers. Grassley said in a recent interview that he was so upset by a McCain tirade that he didn’t speak to him “for a couple of years.” McCain got in his face and shouted an obscenity at him. […]
[I]t seems McCain goes ballistic on anyone who disagrees with him. And he’s not just verbally abusive, but physically threatening.
Now, it’s worth noting that when George W. Bush’s conservative allies launched a smear campaign against McCain in 2000’s South Carolina primary, one of the more tasteless attacks argued that McCain, after years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, had developed mental problems, and was insufficiently stable. Those smears were obviously offensive and disgusting, and have no place in the discourse.
But this is a different question entirely, and deserves to be considered on its merits. Does John McCain — a man Newsweek once labeled, “Senator Hothead” — have a temperament issue? And is it relevant in the campaign?
Investor’s Business Daily brought up the Reagan comparison.
We appreciate that McCain, who was dead right about the surge, is willing to stare down “radical Islamic extremists.” We want them to fear our commander in chief. It helps if they believe he’s got his finger on the button, so to speak, as the Soviets believed with President Reagan.
Difference is, Reagan didn’t have an itchy trigger finger. His recently published diaries confirm that he skillfully used firm diplomacy behind the scenes. We’re not so sure McCain can control his bellicosity.
The concerns are certainly well grounded. A few weeks ago, Amanda at TP pulled together some of my favorite examples of McCain’s infamous temperament, including:
* In a “heated dispute over immigration-law overhaul” last year, McCain screamed at Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), “F**k you!” He added, “This is chickens**t stuff…. You’ve always been against this bill, and you’re just trying to derail it.” [5/19/07]
* In a discussion over the “fate of Vietnam MIAs,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked McCain, “Are you calling me stupid?” “No,” replied McCain, “I’m calling you a f**ing jerk!” [Newsweek, 2/21/00]
* At a GOP meeting in fall 1999, McCain “erupted” at Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and shouted, “Only an a**hole would put together a budget like this.” When Domenici expressed his outrage, McCain responded, “I wouldn’t call you an a**hole unless you really were an a**hole.” [Newsweek, 2/21/00]
These apparently aren’t isolated incidents.
“I have witnessed incidents where he has used profanity at colleagues and exploded at colleagues,” said former Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican who served with McCain on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on Republican policy committees. “He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior. We’ve all had incidents where we have gotten angry, but I’ve never seen anyone act like that.”
McCain’s outbursts often erupted when other members rebuffed his requests for support during his bid in 2000 for the Republican nomination for president. A former Senate staffer recalled what happened when McCain asked for support from a fellow Republican senator on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
“The senator explained that he had already committed to support George Bush,” the former Senate staffer said. “McCain said ‘f**k you’ and never spoke to him again.”
Keep in mind, we’re talking about McCain dropping F-bombs on Republicans.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 house repubs have dropped out of the next race wanting to make more money and afraid they were going to be overcome by a democratic swell. i hope that happens so the country can get back on the right path again in the world, religion and morals aside, it is time to start acting like we have a working brain again as a country and get idiots out of office.
the war. iran, energy, oil, trade, education, healthcare, poverty, social security, medicare, transportation, deficits, civil rights, etc--just some of the issues not dealt with properly in 8 years. and that is without the social issues like gay rights and abortions and horrible judges and crime, etc that start the real fights.
did i mention the mid east? just the beginning- the world is not red and blue, nor are the issues black and white. with so many people there has to be compromise. what i may think of as the right answer is not the right answer for everyone, but if everyone insists on "their" answer as the "way" we will get nothing done. what the constitution does for the country is like the long distance runner- it provides for steady continuous forward motion, with less room for large set backs. drink the water, eat the gel and keep going. move to the finish line one step at a time. you don't get to win by knocking over everyone else doing the race.
On the day of the State of the Union, apparently hoping nobody would notice, President George W. Bush posted a statement on the White House website announcing his intention to violate major sections of the Defense Authorization bill that he just signed into law.[..]
He’s decided to close the office that handles Freedom of Information requests from Congress. He’s left Blackwater free but jailed citizens who reenact its crimes. He’s rewritten government reports on global warming. He’s blocked his Justice Departments investigation of political hirings and firings, while the former governor of Alabama begins his eighth month as a political prisoner. He’s delivered a State of the Union address packed with the same contemptuous lies as last year’s, and announced the seizure of new powers (which Congress greeted with applause). And then there’s the latest signing statement.
This statement announces in the by now familiar coded language of the “unitary executive” Bush’s intention to violate four key sections of a bill he is simultaneously making “law.”
CQ Today sums up these sections as follows:
“One such provision sets up a commission to probe contracting fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another expands protections for whistleblowers who work for government contractors. A third requires that U.S. intelligence agencies promptly respond to congressional requests for documents. And a fourth bars funding for permanent bases in Iraq and for any action that exercises U.S. control over Iraq’s oil money.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Dems are planning to start crafting campaign narratives surrounding John McCain, I might recommend an obvious one: the senator appears to have temperament issues. Investor’s Business Daily, a conservative economic publication, asks this week, “Can McCain Control His Temper?”
John McCain claims his temper is not an issue. “I don’t think I would have the support of so many of my colleagues if that were the case.” Who are these supportive colleagues?
They certainly do not include Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Over the weekend, he announced he cannot endorse his colleague for the White House and is endorsing Gov. Mitt Romney instead.
“The thought of him being president sends a cold chill down my spine,” Cochran said. “He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”
Perhaps Cochran can’t appreciate the maverick in McCain. But the same can’t be said of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a noted reformer and friend of whistle-blowers. Grassley said in a recent interview that he was so upset by a McCain tirade that he didn’t speak to him “for a couple of years.” McCain got in his face and shouted an obscenity at him. […]
[I]t seems McCain goes ballistic on anyone who disagrees with him. And he’s not just verbally abusive, but physically threatening.
Now, it’s worth noting that when George W. Bush’s conservative allies launched a smear campaign against McCain in 2000’s South Carolina primary, one of the more tasteless attacks argued that McCain, after years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, had developed mental problems, and was insufficiently stable. Those smears were obviously offensive and disgusting, and have no place in the discourse.
But this is a different question entirely, and deserves to be considered on its merits. Does John McCain — a man Newsweek once labeled, “Senator Hothead” — have a temperament issue? And is it relevant in the campaign?
Investor’s Business Daily brought up the Reagan comparison.
We appreciate that McCain, who was dead right about the surge, is willing to stare down “radical Islamic extremists.” We want them to fear our commander in chief. It helps if they believe he’s got his finger on the button, so to speak, as the Soviets believed with President Reagan.
Difference is, Reagan didn’t have an itchy trigger finger. His recently published diaries confirm that he skillfully used firm diplomacy behind the scenes. We’re not so sure McCain can control his bellicosity.
The concerns are certainly well grounded. A few weeks ago, Amanda at TP pulled together some of my favorite examples of McCain’s infamous temperament, including:
* In a “heated dispute over immigration-law overhaul” last year, McCain screamed at Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), “F**k you!” He added, “This is chickens**t stuff…. You’ve always been against this bill, and you’re just trying to derail it.” [5/19/07]
* In a discussion over the “fate of Vietnam MIAs,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked McCain, “Are you calling me stupid?” “No,” replied McCain, “I’m calling you a f**ing jerk!” [Newsweek, 2/21/00]
* At a GOP meeting in fall 1999, McCain “erupted” at Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and shouted, “Only an a**hole would put together a budget like this.” When Domenici expressed his outrage, McCain responded, “I wouldn’t call you an a**hole unless you really were an a**hole.” [Newsweek, 2/21/00]
These apparently aren’t isolated incidents.
“I have witnessed incidents where he has used profanity at colleagues and exploded at colleagues,” said former Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican who served with McCain on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on Republican policy committees. “He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior. We’ve all had incidents where we have gotten angry, but I’ve never seen anyone act like that.”
McCain’s outbursts often erupted when other members rebuffed his requests for support during his bid in 2000 for the Republican nomination for president. A former Senate staffer recalled what happened when McCain asked for support from a fellow Republican senator on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
“The senator explained that he had already committed to support George Bush,” the former Senate staffer said. “McCain said ‘f**k you’ and never spoke to him again.”
Keep in mind, we’re talking about McCain dropping F-bombs on Republicans.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 house repubs have dropped out of the next race wanting to make more money and afraid they were going to be overcome by a democratic swell. i hope that happens so the country can get back on the right path again in the world, religion and morals aside, it is time to start acting like we have a working brain again as a country and get idiots out of office.
the war. iran, energy, oil, trade, education, healthcare, poverty, social security, medicare, transportation, deficits, civil rights, etc--just some of the issues not dealt with properly in 8 years. and that is without the social issues like gay rights and abortions and horrible judges and crime, etc that start the real fights.
did i mention the mid east? just the beginning- the world is not red and blue, nor are the issues black and white. with so many people there has to be compromise. what i may think of as the right answer is not the right answer for everyone, but if everyone insists on "their" answer as the "way" we will get nothing done. what the constitution does for the country is like the long distance runner- it provides for steady continuous forward motion, with less room for large set backs. drink the water, eat the gel and keep going. move to the finish line one step at a time. you don't get to win by knocking over everyone else doing the race.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
another day, but no rain
another day;never made it back yesterday; hit pretty well at the range though only short stuff while i work on things, but then came home and spent 2 hours trying to get pc to work doing all of the scan stuff, etc. partially works now. something still wrong with norton 360 and i cannot watch my videos or listen to them or watch tv or golf. do get videos on bbc on real play. why?
anyway- frustrated by pc as usual. somehow this little enhancement tool has morphed into society's way of life. one can spend all day on the computer if you hardly try at all and phone calls which used to be so short now take time to do over the email.
but i digress and sound old. not really; i embrace technology- have a huge award from the commerce to prove it, but i want it to work and i miss having my own computer staff. now when i yell lisa or burnetta no one comes.
i did have 5th win on ebay and am putting together a whole new setup i hope; can see small ways of making money here but doubt i will spend the time. will just save what i can. now to see if the other people are as integrity driven as i am.
went out and stayed out for 10 miles this morning, including 22 x 100 yard sprints/striders. beautiful constable like morning as i call it. pretty and clear blue sky. the rain that passed through overnight took away some of the leftover clouds. snow now ahead they say. maybe i say. the horses wre lying down in the filed and that is not a sign of snow. but bbc says an artic thing is coming through.
ran in new shoes today. always nice the first time out in new shoes to feel the cushion. won't be that way the next time, but it enabled me to throw away my old trail shoes.
went up to st margaret'shurch and then ran the striders on my measured course and then back to the church and over the channel through port meadow to the oxford canal and down the canal to the back trails behind the train station and then stopped to get a paper and ran back to the grocery store to get some yogurt and a tuna sandwich.
home to clean up, do some laundry, grab some breakfast, clean the back porch, prune the mum and water the other plants and move a couple back outside until the next flood scare. will do the yard later, depending on the snow.
anyway-this is where we are. january 30th, 6 long months to go and half a computer. need to get hold of a better schedule here for my track work, but it is not easy to plan that given the weather and everything else going on. planning a trip to wales later when the weather turns more consistently dry.
off i go. more to follow.
anyway- frustrated by pc as usual. somehow this little enhancement tool has morphed into society's way of life. one can spend all day on the computer if you hardly try at all and phone calls which used to be so short now take time to do over the email.
but i digress and sound old. not really; i embrace technology- have a huge award from the commerce to prove it, but i want it to work and i miss having my own computer staff. now when i yell lisa or burnetta no one comes.
i did have 5th win on ebay and am putting together a whole new setup i hope; can see small ways of making money here but doubt i will spend the time. will just save what i can. now to see if the other people are as integrity driven as i am.
went out and stayed out for 10 miles this morning, including 22 x 100 yard sprints/striders. beautiful constable like morning as i call it. pretty and clear blue sky. the rain that passed through overnight took away some of the leftover clouds. snow now ahead they say. maybe i say. the horses wre lying down in the filed and that is not a sign of snow. but bbc says an artic thing is coming through.
ran in new shoes today. always nice the first time out in new shoes to feel the cushion. won't be that way the next time, but it enabled me to throw away my old trail shoes.
went up to st margaret'shurch and then ran the striders on my measured course and then back to the church and over the channel through port meadow to the oxford canal and down the canal to the back trails behind the train station and then stopped to get a paper and ran back to the grocery store to get some yogurt and a tuna sandwich.
home to clean up, do some laundry, grab some breakfast, clean the back porch, prune the mum and water the other plants and move a couple back outside until the next flood scare. will do the yard later, depending on the snow.
anyway-this is where we are. january 30th, 6 long months to go and half a computer. need to get hold of a better schedule here for my track work, but it is not easy to plan that given the weather and everything else going on. planning a trip to wales later when the weather turns more consistently dry.
off i go. more to follow.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
day in the life
woke up with good intentions and a morning heart rate of 49, which told me i really was tired and needed some rest. but undeterred and not being something i would recommend to anyone i was coaching i went out and did a nice easy galloway 5 miles followed by 3 miles of walking.
eventually i was off to run my errands. first to the post office so they could take back and remail the mail i sent off that they delivered back to my house. then to the running store to try and buy a somewhat cheap running shoe that would last until i got home. they had an emergency and were closed for 3 unexpected hours. good start huh? the hardware store and the bookstore went ok and i even got a bus back to center city and stopped at another running store which had been closed last week when i tried and they had some asics i could use in my size-"straight from america" he said. can't keep them on the shelves.
treated myself to a chicken ceasar pannini which was excellent- won't scare you guy with how much that cost. and then headed home to find out my computer was down and not working at all.
as my brother knows because i called him and then i woke up his son who helped get me back up and able to use the laptop once again, though now my norton is not working and may have been damaged according to symantec. i am waiting for their technical support people to answer me before i uninstall and then reinstall. i did try everything they said and it all seem to work successfully they added, but the red x is still there. still, a big thanks to david who was as helpful as he always is. we both await baseball season.
hit some good balls later and if i can get more stretched i can make some improvements or i will go back to the senior swing; life is easier when you don't think of yourself as a golfer.
snow showers predicted for later this week and that could be fun.
off i go but will be back. 182 and a wake up.
eventually i was off to run my errands. first to the post office so they could take back and remail the mail i sent off that they delivered back to my house. then to the running store to try and buy a somewhat cheap running shoe that would last until i got home. they had an emergency and were closed for 3 unexpected hours. good start huh? the hardware store and the bookstore went ok and i even got a bus back to center city and stopped at another running store which had been closed last week when i tried and they had some asics i could use in my size-"straight from america" he said. can't keep them on the shelves.
treated myself to a chicken ceasar pannini which was excellent- won't scare you guy with how much that cost. and then headed home to find out my computer was down and not working at all.
as my brother knows because i called him and then i woke up his son who helped get me back up and able to use the laptop once again, though now my norton is not working and may have been damaged according to symantec. i am waiting for their technical support people to answer me before i uninstall and then reinstall. i did try everything they said and it all seem to work successfully they added, but the red x is still there. still, a big thanks to david who was as helpful as he always is. we both await baseball season.
hit some good balls later and if i can get more stretched i can make some improvements or i will go back to the senior swing; life is easier when you don't think of yourself as a golfer.
snow showers predicted for later this week and that could be fun.
off i go but will be back. 182 and a wake up.
Monday, January 28, 2008
61 and counting
tired but inspired i headed out in 39 degrees and up to st margaret's church and then over to the thames river and north to wolvercote village; about 4.5 miles the way i did it and stopped to buy a drink; then headed over to cuttslowe and down sunderland rd and then south through summertown and back to jericho. got another drink at londi's and headed over and down the oxford canal to botley and over to the grocery store where i bought a baguette and diet coke for lunch. all in all i made sure i stayed out until i had covered 10 miles. a good start of mind over body as i started tired and stayed that way the entire run. but glad i did it and feel ok now after lunch.
lots to do this week. staying in my little positive mode, will enjoy what i can and get done what i can. it is still pretty ok here and i will just slow down the mental rush i feel of wanting to be home; there are things i can do here to get the process started.
had a cute ecard from jill and a birthday card from my aunt g and 2 good emails from my brother and daughter beth. will get to them in a bit. have to get going, but will ad more later.
they have changed the weather forecast from a mostly sunny week to a mostly rainy week though the all day rain today has not materialized yet. as i type though it is clouding up.
btw-watched what i could of tiger's win yesterday on the pc. the man is just out of this world great as a golfer. still, it is just golf and it is funny how people gush over it when kenya and other places have people dying for no reason. the global economy hasn't morphed yet into a global helpfulness. may the republicans choke on their words. for a treat of pure bullshit don't forget to listen to the state of the union message tonight. our country should be embarrasses as hell that this fool stole one election and somehow, how can this be, somehow he won a second term. ashamed might be a better choice of a description than embarrassed.
little gabriel the tree hugger at bonn square here deserves more credit than most. still, sadly the 100 year old tree is gone.
lots to do this week. staying in my little positive mode, will enjoy what i can and get done what i can. it is still pretty ok here and i will just slow down the mental rush i feel of wanting to be home; there are things i can do here to get the process started.
had a cute ecard from jill and a birthday card from my aunt g and 2 good emails from my brother and daughter beth. will get to them in a bit. have to get going, but will ad more later.
they have changed the weather forecast from a mostly sunny week to a mostly rainy week though the all day rain today has not materialized yet. as i type though it is clouding up.
btw-watched what i could of tiger's win yesterday on the pc. the man is just out of this world great as a golfer. still, it is just golf and it is funny how people gush over it when kenya and other places have people dying for no reason. the global economy hasn't morphed yet into a global helpfulness. may the republicans choke on their words. for a treat of pure bullshit don't forget to listen to the state of the union message tonight. our country should be embarrasses as hell that this fool stole one election and somehow, how can this be, somehow he won a second term. ashamed might be a better choice of a description than embarrassed.
little gabriel the tree hugger at bonn square here deserves more credit than most. still, sadly the 100 year old tree is gone.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
last post of 60th year
had a nice walk about town and did a loop around christ church meadow. the light tonight on the stone buildings was so surreal and beautiful. the city was pretty crowded with tourists, something i still don't quite understand. i get used to tourist season in washington, dc and alexandria, va, but there is no season here. they are just here all of the time.
we shopped some but bought nothing. there are few more wasted time things than going shopping with an academic if you expect a decision on the same day.
dinner was at best so-so. food was ok and for only $90 including a tip we had a nice so-so very small meal without dessert and just sparkling water and diet cokes-2 of each for $16. eating out here never fails to continue to disappoint me and i do it only for gail's sake. the food is never that good, the prices are ridiculous and the service is just ok, though tonight it was pretty good; always hard to get your check, but i have gotten good at getting it now that i know better.
back home to what was left of the birthday cake, some golf on the computer and some ebay bidding and buying. read some magazine, called my mom and now this. phone has no more time on it so no more calls today. left it home when we went to town and couldn't add time.
enough of today and so much for getting some sleep. bye bye 60 and onto what's next.
we shopped some but bought nothing. there are few more wasted time things than going shopping with an academic if you expect a decision on the same day.
dinner was at best so-so. food was ok and for only $90 including a tip we had a nice so-so very small meal without dessert and just sparkling water and diet cokes-2 of each for $16. eating out here never fails to continue to disappoint me and i do it only for gail's sake. the food is never that good, the prices are ridiculous and the service is just ok, though tonight it was pretty good; always hard to get your check, but i have gotten good at getting it now that i know better.
back home to what was left of the birthday cake, some golf on the computer and some ebay bidding and buying. read some magazine, called my mom and now this. phone has no more time on it so no more calls today. left it home when we went to town and couldn't add time.
enough of today and so much for getting some sleep. bye bye 60 and onto what's next.
one year to social security
another year, another birthday. statistically i have between 17 and 22 years to go. will develop a long and short strategy plan sometime soon.
had a nice run this morning. four miles with gail and then four more miles up the river and over to the canal and back down to get a paper at the train station. all in all not too bad. ran the entire way and never had my fast legs, but stay steadied and did it and even enjoyed it.
had a nice birthday breakfast and then went to hit balls at the driving range. that went well also and glad i took mark's advice to spend two month's working on just posture and right knee flex. straight and high today despite the wind. can see this would be easier if i had a younger body, but i want to try and not have a "senior" swing. balance is getting better also.
now to to center city as they say here and enjoy a walk maybe to christ church meadow, and then a dinner somewhere.
seems like just yesterday i was younger. should get back in time to watch tiger win another. hard to believe a man can hit a 4 iron that high and stop it on a dime. for now when i hit a 4iron i am just happy to find the ball.
happy birthday to tommy allwein today wherever he may be. and carl tancredi is tomorrow. wonder if carl remembers playing dots in dr fuller's history class. and then going out to play chink at lunch. those were the days. do kids still play halfball or wallball?
big hello to robin roberts and henry arron. two of my favorites growing up along with frank robinson. gotta run.
had a nice run this morning. four miles with gail and then four more miles up the river and over to the canal and back down to get a paper at the train station. all in all not too bad. ran the entire way and never had my fast legs, but stay steadied and did it and even enjoyed it.
had a nice birthday breakfast and then went to hit balls at the driving range. that went well also and glad i took mark's advice to spend two month's working on just posture and right knee flex. straight and high today despite the wind. can see this would be easier if i had a younger body, but i want to try and not have a "senior" swing. balance is getting better also.
now to to center city as they say here and enjoy a walk maybe to christ church meadow, and then a dinner somewhere.
seems like just yesterday i was younger. should get back in time to watch tiger win another. hard to believe a man can hit a 4 iron that high and stop it on a dime. for now when i hit a 4iron i am just happy to find the ball.
happy birthday to tommy allwein today wherever he may be. and carl tancredi is tomorrow. wonder if carl remembers playing dots in dr fuller's history class. and then going out to play chink at lunch. those were the days. do kids still play halfball or wallball?
big hello to robin roberts and henry arron. two of my favorites growing up along with frank robinson. gotta run.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
40th anniversary of tet offensive
depends on where you were when it started though i am sure there is an official date which i have forgotten, but when your 21st birthday was 1/27/68, you don't forget where you were when tet broke out the night before. fortunately my company made it through ok. and with just 54 days to go that was a good thing. here i have 186 days to go. too long to get going.
today was a short 6 miles; legs weren't as bad as they could have been after my first hard 2 miles in over 2 years, but there was not that much life in them and ierred on the side of caution when we came to the grocery store and it was just a convenient time to stop so we could pop in and pick up a few things and head home together. we did walk down to the co-op later and added some walking at least. then she worked a bit while i hit some balls at the driving range and we spent a quiet day together in the house doing various stuff. got a new really nice and warm scarf as a birthday present also and we bought and had some cake after some homemade pizza which was really good.
all in all not a really busy day but an ok and pleasant and i also watched tiger take a commanding lead at the buick open on the pga tour site live action. skins also fired greg williams today-after 4 interviews for the head job one has to wonder, but maybe fassel insisted. who knows? i could care less about the skins, but am always interested in personnel moves.
have to get going, busy day tomorrow turning 61. hard to believe. tommy allwein also has a birthday tomorrow wherever he may be right now.
peace world. tomorrow we'll also know the SC primary results. go johnny e.
today was a short 6 miles; legs weren't as bad as they could have been after my first hard 2 miles in over 2 years, but there was not that much life in them and ierred on the side of caution when we came to the grocery store and it was just a convenient time to stop so we could pop in and pick up a few things and head home together. we did walk down to the co-op later and added some walking at least. then she worked a bit while i hit some balls at the driving range and we spent a quiet day together in the house doing various stuff. got a new really nice and warm scarf as a birthday present also and we bought and had some cake after some homemade pizza which was really good.
all in all not a really busy day but an ok and pleasant and i also watched tiger take a commanding lead at the buick open on the pga tour site live action. skins also fired greg williams today-after 4 interviews for the head job one has to wonder, but maybe fassel insisted. who knows? i could care less about the skins, but am always interested in personnel moves.
have to get going, busy day tomorrow turning 61. hard to believe. tommy allwein also has a birthday tomorrow wherever he may be right now.
peace world. tomorrow we'll also know the SC primary results. go johnny e.
Friday, January 25, 2008
how scary is this to find?
tried to google my own name to see if my blog was out there yet --and it is- and also found this:
i am alive as i type this and gail is sitting at the same table i am equally alive.
Obituaries - Jan 13
Larry Charles Patrick Tabachnick, 51, of California, Maryland 20619 Gail Louise Savage, 51, of California, Maryland 20619. Please Scroll down for Obituaries .............
when you go into the article it shows us under marriage licences. was weird though. like standing with my mom at my dad's grave and seeing my mom's name already on the stone. how does she do that?
i am alive as i type this and gail is sitting at the same table i am equally alive.
Obituaries - Jan 13
Larry Charles Patrick Tabachnick, 51, of California, Maryland 20619 Gail Louise Savage, 51, of California, Maryland 20619. Please Scroll down for Obituaries .............
when you go into the article it shows us under marriage licences. was weird though. like standing with my mom at my dad's grave and seeing my mom's name already on the stone. how does she do that?
back to reality and what does it mean?
decided to take a trip to the oxford university track today, having not been there in awhile and wanting to get an idea of how easy or hard it would be to do track workouts on a regular basis. bus driver missed my stop so i had a chance to walk back and warmup a little. i tried to remember that i am trying to put a positive spin on things. almost hard when you are standing next to the driver and remind him that this is your stop and watch him "forget" and pass it by.
anyway, there was a small difference of opinion from two of the people who worked there about what i could and couldn't do, but listening to them gave me the consensus opinion that wed. and saturday mornings could be crowded with football game going on and tuesday there was a running club who took over the track. this seemed to meet my tuesday and thursday needs.
rather than pass up the opportunity to run there i ran 2 miles without a warmup in 17:11. an 8:50 and an 8:11, with all eight laps turning into a really nice headwind for the last 110 meters.
but i did it and passed a mental hurdle of going pass one hard mile; last lap in 1:58 with a heart rate of 159 tells me just how much conditioning i have lost as i used to be able to do the last lap in 1:50 at 150 heart rate. not talking about my 11:44 two mile pr here am i?
on a bright note side i did run one 200 in 48.5 at 158 and some 100's in 20 seconds at 153. showed some of the leg speed is coming back. after having run 88 miles in the last 11 days this is not the workout i would have planned for myself, nor is the way i did it the way i want to be able to run them, but all in all it was a decent start and a call to reality to show me where i have to go.
now to get some more weight off and cut back the miles some while i work on the speed with less chance of re-injuring the usual injuries that running fast has given me over the years and especially the last 6 years. this in the face of turning 61 on sunday.
still, running around the track brings on the usual feeling of wanting to die while at the same time a good feeling about doing it. much better than plodding along. next test will be three miles, but i want to write up more organized workouts to get there.
i did have the track to myself the entire time and met the groundskeeper, jason, a nice lad from lincolnshire, who has been to orlando and wants to go to NYC. to everyone here those seem to be the places to go. i told him to skip nyc and go to washington and see and do more for less money.
then later i walked up to the track, a tad tired, but not much and a tad stiff, but not much and hit 200 balls. some well and others not as well, but must continue to work on takeaway and right knee staying flexed- both of which keep me on plane and lengthen my swing. tried not to be disappointed that it didn't go as well as the past few days.
came home to find that some of the bills i mailed at the post office yesterday came back today as they mistakenly mailed them to the return address. i love this post office - did i mention they lost 2 boxes of our mail and all of our professional and personal magazines as well.
quiet birthday weekend ahead i am sure as nobody can call me and the weather is somewhat iffy to far and there is nowhere here i want to go out to eat at. not as positive there huh?
tomorrow will be the 40th anniversary of the tet offensive. that's how i spent the night before my 21st birthday. waiting to see what that would bring to our compound. good war to come home from and those who didn't will always have a special place in my heart. also the big reason i hated everything about tricky dicky nixon.
easy to rant when you want to as there is so much to be upset about, but i am a newly formed positive man. i will lose some more weight and stretch my hamstrings and pf and itb and will get just a little faster, just to see if i can.
off to read my book club book.
anyway, there was a small difference of opinion from two of the people who worked there about what i could and couldn't do, but listening to them gave me the consensus opinion that wed. and saturday mornings could be crowded with football game going on and tuesday there was a running club who took over the track. this seemed to meet my tuesday and thursday needs.
rather than pass up the opportunity to run there i ran 2 miles without a warmup in 17:11. an 8:50 and an 8:11, with all eight laps turning into a really nice headwind for the last 110 meters.
but i did it and passed a mental hurdle of going pass one hard mile; last lap in 1:58 with a heart rate of 159 tells me just how much conditioning i have lost as i used to be able to do the last lap in 1:50 at 150 heart rate. not talking about my 11:44 two mile pr here am i?
on a bright note side i did run one 200 in 48.5 at 158 and some 100's in 20 seconds at 153. showed some of the leg speed is coming back. after having run 88 miles in the last 11 days this is not the workout i would have planned for myself, nor is the way i did it the way i want to be able to run them, but all in all it was a decent start and a call to reality to show me where i have to go.
now to get some more weight off and cut back the miles some while i work on the speed with less chance of re-injuring the usual injuries that running fast has given me over the years and especially the last 6 years. this in the face of turning 61 on sunday.
still, running around the track brings on the usual feeling of wanting to die while at the same time a good feeling about doing it. much better than plodding along. next test will be three miles, but i want to write up more organized workouts to get there.
i did have the track to myself the entire time and met the groundskeeper, jason, a nice lad from lincolnshire, who has been to orlando and wants to go to NYC. to everyone here those seem to be the places to go. i told him to skip nyc and go to washington and see and do more for less money.
then later i walked up to the track, a tad tired, but not much and a tad stiff, but not much and hit 200 balls. some well and others not as well, but must continue to work on takeaway and right knee staying flexed- both of which keep me on plane and lengthen my swing. tried not to be disappointed that it didn't go as well as the past few days.
came home to find that some of the bills i mailed at the post office yesterday came back today as they mistakenly mailed them to the return address. i love this post office - did i mention they lost 2 boxes of our mail and all of our professional and personal magazines as well.
quiet birthday weekend ahead i am sure as nobody can call me and the weather is somewhat iffy to far and there is nowhere here i want to go out to eat at. not as positive there huh?
tomorrow will be the 40th anniversary of the tet offensive. that's how i spent the night before my 21st birthday. waiting to see what that would bring to our compound. good war to come home from and those who didn't will always have a special place in my heart. also the big reason i hated everything about tricky dicky nixon.
easy to rant when you want to as there is so much to be upset about, but i am a newly formed positive man. i will lose some more weight and stretch my hamstrings and pf and itb and will get just a little faster, just to see if i can.
off to read my book club book.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
good day follows bad
what are the rules about posting anyway? sometimes it is hard to find time to post everyday, but who says you have to huh?
yesterday started as a disaster-small "d" , this is about running and golf afterall. i was up to almost 4 am the night before taking care of banking problems brought on by different addresses for credit cards and then after being up and still wide awake, decided to finish my bookclub book.
so i got off to a late start in the morning and then went out to run; 3 trails were still under water and 2 miles into my effort to run. the left shin and right periformis were not loving me and the ensuing pain was a tad scary, but at least not totally persistent. at that point, and being more tired than i wanted to be anyway, i bagged the rest of the run and did the one mile to the yogurt store and got some grainery bread as well.
later while trying to some on-line banking i had an email that a friend had a heart attack while running on the treadmill and may have been brain dead. fast forward to today and he is alive and recovering with as yet to be determined residual complications. thanks to a fast thinking woman on the next treadmill admistering cpr immediately.
did get some golf range practice in, though i hate to call the driving range practice. in a pretty heavy wind hitting balls into a totally underwater driving range it was almost surreal. but i did my drills and eventually i will have an entire new swing i hope.
fast forward again to today 1/24. got up early and read for an hour and then went out to run. sun was actually out and gail and i ran up to the old church st margaret's.. we stopped on the way back and ran striders of various lengths on my pre-measured course. worked ok, neither of us had any pain and the 20 minute warmup got rid of my normal morning back tightness. hard to get the old body to do what the young mind wants it to do.
out to the used book sale and got a few things. always pleasant going to the thursday market. also picked up two more bird series prints of Gould, an english version of the autobon prints she has at home. cost one pound each and hard to pass up at that price. will reframe them later.
then to the bank and post office, some store browsing and headed home carrying everything. add 3+ more miles walking to my seven mile run. then to the driving range and i acgtually could see some progress today. wore down later on as mark gave me 250 free balls to hit left over from the jr session. on top of the 150 i had hit, it may have been too much for my back, but still i had figured out some stuff and even my friend chris commented on the "new" swing. time will tell. golf can be like running in that one has to learn not to get too higfh up or too far down afetr a good or bad day.
then came home and was able to fix some of yesterday's banking difficulties. yea on that and completed some transactions finally. we seem set now to pay the rest of our rent in usa dollars and not uk pounds. this will make money transfers easier.
and there you have it. a good day mostly. still have to come back to the "hut" as i like to call our temporary house and each day the water, heat and electric work i am surprised. big fear is losing the washing ,machine.
fortunately the stock market rebounded a little. and the bubs passed a plan to give us some money. we can throw it at the real estate taxes. how does this help a country in total war and bad mortgage debt? they are hoping for psychologial relief i am sure.
my new idea--each campaign hires a future newspaper person. as soon as they say something or have an idea the newspaper person goes away and comes back with a front page headline showing the idea. then they can ask themselves-is that what i want the times or post to look like tomorrow---Reagan was a man of great ideas; Lyndon Johnson gets the credit, did Barack say he used or sold crack? even Bloomberg looked bad today- he is a brighter version of Fred Thompson, stay out mike.. save yourself the money and the headaches. once you are "in", you become a live target.
i still think it will be Romney vs any winning democrat.
and off to do laundry --
yesterday started as a disaster-small "d" , this is about running and golf afterall. i was up to almost 4 am the night before taking care of banking problems brought on by different addresses for credit cards and then after being up and still wide awake, decided to finish my bookclub book.
so i got off to a late start in the morning and then went out to run; 3 trails were still under water and 2 miles into my effort to run. the left shin and right periformis were not loving me and the ensuing pain was a tad scary, but at least not totally persistent. at that point, and being more tired than i wanted to be anyway, i bagged the rest of the run and did the one mile to the yogurt store and got some grainery bread as well.
later while trying to some on-line banking i had an email that a friend had a heart attack while running on the treadmill and may have been brain dead. fast forward to today and he is alive and recovering with as yet to be determined residual complications. thanks to a fast thinking woman on the next treadmill admistering cpr immediately.
did get some golf range practice in, though i hate to call the driving range practice. in a pretty heavy wind hitting balls into a totally underwater driving range it was almost surreal. but i did my drills and eventually i will have an entire new swing i hope.
fast forward again to today 1/24. got up early and read for an hour and then went out to run. sun was actually out and gail and i ran up to the old church st margaret's.. we stopped on the way back and ran striders of various lengths on my pre-measured course. worked ok, neither of us had any pain and the 20 minute warmup got rid of my normal morning back tightness. hard to get the old body to do what the young mind wants it to do.
out to the used book sale and got a few things. always pleasant going to the thursday market. also picked up two more bird series prints of Gould, an english version of the autobon prints she has at home. cost one pound each and hard to pass up at that price. will reframe them later.
then to the bank and post office, some store browsing and headed home carrying everything. add 3+ more miles walking to my seven mile run. then to the driving range and i acgtually could see some progress today. wore down later on as mark gave me 250 free balls to hit left over from the jr session. on top of the 150 i had hit, it may have been too much for my back, but still i had figured out some stuff and even my friend chris commented on the "new" swing. time will tell. golf can be like running in that one has to learn not to get too higfh up or too far down afetr a good or bad day.
then came home and was able to fix some of yesterday's banking difficulties. yea on that and completed some transactions finally. we seem set now to pay the rest of our rent in usa dollars and not uk pounds. this will make money transfers easier.
and there you have it. a good day mostly. still have to come back to the "hut" as i like to call our temporary house and each day the water, heat and electric work i am surprised. big fear is losing the washing ,machine.
fortunately the stock market rebounded a little. and the bubs passed a plan to give us some money. we can throw it at the real estate taxes. how does this help a country in total war and bad mortgage debt? they are hoping for psychologial relief i am sure.
my new idea--each campaign hires a future newspaper person. as soon as they say something or have an idea the newspaper person goes away and comes back with a front page headline showing the idea. then they can ask themselves-is that what i want the times or post to look like tomorrow---Reagan was a man of great ideas; Lyndon Johnson gets the credit, did Barack say he used or sold crack? even Bloomberg looked bad today- he is a brighter version of Fred Thompson, stay out mike.. save yourself the money and the headaches. once you are "in", you become a live target.
i still think it will be Romney vs any winning democrat.
and off to do laundry --
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
today is now tomorrow
meant to post something yesterday , which ended 14 minutes ago here, but have been busy trying to solve little banking crises and airline ticket crunches. hard to live in 2 countries at once and having to deal with things online when you cannot talk to real live people and websites don't give options that you need-like what to do when your mailing address and billing address are in two different countries and the credit card web site is down for repairs. just an example.
this followed an 11 mile day on the roads; a sluggish first hour and then a better last hour. morning heart rate was 46 today. a nice day about 48 degrees when i ran-this after a power outage left me thinking i was up early enough at 5:15 am to read a little first and then finding out it was really 7:15-though not until about 9am; all in all got out and did it, before cleaning up and going to hit some balls at the range. left arm is still bad so i stayed within just the wedges and hoped for some recovery.
striders today felt better and i would like to think i am ready to move to the track and do some real work and find out where i am and how to get to where i want to go. can i find a way to get to the track in the rain and cold without a car? will see.
can you hear simon and garfunkle singing the boxer in the background? i remember seeing them in nyc central park way back in another lifetime?
about to be 61 this week. will be curious to see how the future plays out as i constantly change my own plans for it. am anxious to get back home and get started. 189 days to go-one less than i thought yesterday as the UK govt decided gail must leave a day early so as not to violate her visa. how much sense does that make-but i would go a month early if i could.
i am pushing now to catch up on paperwork and get organized for what's ahead. and to do taxes- will be fun trying to do that from here.
one of my golf friends here and his wife had twin boys last night. good for him and her. the world can use more good people.
did make plans to fly back here from cancer checkup visit with beth and that will be fun. she will enjoy running along ghe thames and on the canal. will be so much different than what she is used to, but in a good way also. now all she needs to do is slow down for me. i can stay out there a long time if i can go slow enough.
for the record, today i ran my 77, 581 recorded mile. about 3 times around the world. need to live awhile to make it 4 times around. ordered new shoes though so will try to keep going. asics 2130's cost about $165 here in usa money. surreal .
more later.
i am off now to finish my bookclub book. no need for sleep tonight huh?
this followed an 11 mile day on the roads; a sluggish first hour and then a better last hour. morning heart rate was 46 today. a nice day about 48 degrees when i ran-this after a power outage left me thinking i was up early enough at 5:15 am to read a little first and then finding out it was really 7:15-though not until about 9am; all in all got out and did it, before cleaning up and going to hit some balls at the range. left arm is still bad so i stayed within just the wedges and hoped for some recovery.
striders today felt better and i would like to think i am ready to move to the track and do some real work and find out where i am and how to get to where i want to go. can i find a way to get to the track in the rain and cold without a car? will see.
can you hear simon and garfunkle singing the boxer in the background? i remember seeing them in nyc central park way back in another lifetime?
about to be 61 this week. will be curious to see how the future plays out as i constantly change my own plans for it. am anxious to get back home and get started. 189 days to go-one less than i thought yesterday as the UK govt decided gail must leave a day early so as not to violate her visa. how much sense does that make-but i would go a month early if i could.
i am pushing now to catch up on paperwork and get organized for what's ahead. and to do taxes- will be fun trying to do that from here.
one of my golf friends here and his wife had twin boys last night. good for him and her. the world can use more good people.
did make plans to fly back here from cancer checkup visit with beth and that will be fun. she will enjoy running along ghe thames and on the canal. will be so much different than what she is used to, but in a good way also. now all she needs to do is slow down for me. i can stay out there a long time if i can go slow enough.
for the record, today i ran my 77, 581 recorded mile. about 3 times around the world. need to live awhile to make it 4 times around. ordered new shoes though so will try to keep going. asics 2130's cost about $165 here in usa money. surreal .
more later.
i am off now to finish my bookclub book. no need for sleep tonight huh?
Monday, January 21, 2008
short post
not much time. ran 7 miles this morning in a drizzle and a lot of wind. did 15 x 100 meter striders after a 2 mile warmup and then a long jog along the river to the store. always fun to go a little harder and i tried to work on my stride and breathing pattern. i am trying to get back to my one in four breaths.
busy day of chores and then some golf practice. the flood waters are down 2 feet and we hope it will keep going. garden is still under 6 inches of water.
spent some time tonight doing some family tree stuff and discovered a cousin in florida and his email and sent off a note. strange to find stuff on the internet sometime and learn about your family.
anyway- lots to do tomorrow and have to wrap up tonight. didn't get to some things today but all in all, not a bad day and one less to go. 191 and a wakeup.
busy day of chores and then some golf practice. the flood waters are down 2 feet and we hope it will keep going. garden is still under 6 inches of water.
spent some time tonight doing some family tree stuff and discovered a cousin in florida and his email and sent off a note. strange to find stuff on the internet sometime and learn about your family.
anyway- lots to do tomorrow and have to wrap up tonight. didn't get to some things today but all in all, not a bad day and one less to go. 191 and a wakeup.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
another day
got up a little late;stayed up to watch Joan of Arc and it ended at 2 am or so. but went out and did my little 11 mile jaunt through oxford. down to the railroad trail and over to university parks. had hoped to take the back trail to headington park, but it was under water. went back through a crowded town and then back up the railroad trail to a somewhat muddy canal path and did several short-20 second- striders. met a nice couple from france who just moved here and ran into a couple i know from the driving range. picked up a london sunday paper, a bottle of water and a tuna baguette for later and ran home the last 3/4 mile with my pockets stuffed and carrying the paper.
all in all a decent run. nothing hurt more than usual and i had some energy. will see how the week develops. gail's work schedule will change as seminars start over on tuesdays. will work around that and may travel with her and veer off to the golf course. want to do a longish run in honor of my 61st birthday next sunday. have 77, 563 miles in now since i started keeping track. fun to remember the first runs around tabor road when 3 miles seemed like an eternity and i would run by the german pub and smelled the sausage cooking. has been about 33 years since i last ate meat, but it can still smell good. when did they take the marble out of the cornbeef? a random question-
nice quiet day at home and feels ok. lots of rain ahead. gthe yard is still flooded and maybe a tad higher, but council says river rising has slowed. hope so. will kiss the range for sure.
gail and i watched a movie while we read the paper about the british role in the battle of normany/france. was more than the usual interesting for her as she had just visited the sites they talked about on her trip re-enacting the invasion. good to be married to someone with an interesting job.
all in all a decent run. nothing hurt more than usual and i had some energy. will see how the week develops. gail's work schedule will change as seminars start over on tuesdays. will work around that and may travel with her and veer off to the golf course. want to do a longish run in honor of my 61st birthday next sunday. have 77, 563 miles in now since i started keeping track. fun to remember the first runs around tabor road when 3 miles seemed like an eternity and i would run by the german pub and smelled the sausage cooking. has been about 33 years since i last ate meat, but it can still smell good. when did they take the marble out of the cornbeef? a random question-
nice quiet day at home and feels ok. lots of rain ahead. gthe yard is still flooded and maybe a tad higher, but council says river rising has slowed. hope so. will kiss the range for sure.
gail and i watched a movie while we read the paper about the british role in the battle of normany/france. was more than the usual interesting for her as she had just visited the sites they talked about on her trip re-enacting the invasion. good to be married to someone with an interesting job.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
today i went out to run after assuring myself the house would not flood while i was gone. the water is 6 inches deep in the backyard and over the first step of a possible four steps. the channel next to us is almost at nine feet. it is usually at 2-3. i could not head north as the road was flooded out. not a good sign. it is a half mile to the driving range and i could only go 100 feet or so. won't be hitting balls for awhile for sure.
i ran down the road and up the hill to higher ground. my normal paths were all flooded over, but it is saturday and there were few cars on the streets. down to the rugby stadium and back past the horse barn and then tried to go to the river, but the bike path was under 2 feet of water also. came back up to the main road with its flood barriers in place and did an up and down the streets run for a while until 100 minutes had passed and went home. a good first hour and a tired last 40 minutes. no idea why i am not recovering from these runs. not sleeping well either so i could be a bit overtrained right now, though my morning pulse-usually 44-46, was just 48., normally a sign that i was tired. still, i recovered ok and felt good the rest of the day while walking around town looking for hiking boots.
forecast for the week is rain-imagine. funny, but the east side of the city carries on while the west side skirmishes around with sandbags and barriers. we do neither, but wait. without a car there is no hope of sandbags. the county doesn't deliver or help. we should be ok. it needs to rise 27 more inches to get into the back of the house. the front is lower but safer as more fence blocks it. the car park across the street grows worse and 2 cars are trapped and lost to the water.
interesting way to live. this is the 4th flooding in the past 8 years. it has been declared a flood plain since 1200. they let the people build here. maybe it is time to add some helpful defenses. how many 100 year old trees can they cut down while doing nothing about the floods. as an american i am told i don't understand. they will tough it out and cope. i have always been more of an offensive guy than a let it happen to me guy.
it is their country. i am reminded that alexandria, va floods many times down b y the water also.
interesting to watch the primary stuff from here. i convince myself that no matter how mistaken we were to elect bush, we would never be dumb enough to elect huckabee. takes a second to realize we elected bush twice so maybe we are dumb enough. none of the democrats excite me like i want, but will vote for one of them when the time comes. the republicans continue to be the party of the dark ages.
why i find it so interesting sometimes amazes me, but i have also come to love gardening-is here a connection.
later
Friday, January 18, 2008
10 mile run while waiting for house to flood
woke up to another rainy day and after checking to see that no water had entered the house decided to go run. ran north as i usually do to start out and didn't get that far as the river and tributaries clearly were swelling over and the road north was flooded about a mile up and the trail to the river dead ended also; didn't see the sense to run through 8 inches of water so gail and i headed back down and over to see the river first hand; was high and moving quickly. the fields along the way were covered over in water and it looked more like an ocean than farmland. gail turned at the hostel and headed home, while i headed north on the train trail which i knew would be ok. funny that the people in center and east oxford probably have no idea that west oxford is getting more and more under water.
up the train trail and over walton lane to woodstock road stopping at londi's to buy some water and then back over to the trail and headed south. thought about trying the river but it made no sense and by now i was 6 miles or so into the run. had started feeling better about 4 miles in and decided to go down and come back up and run 10 instead of 8. worked out ok as i finished at the grocery store feeling pretty good and after buying some more yogurt and a tuna sandwich and some granary bread headed home on my 1/2 mile cooldown.
decent effort after slow start and about an hour of the run was in my 70% zone and maybe 7 minutes was just over as i strided out on the hill up from the carpark and did it three times to change the effect of flat ground.
then home to do inside stuff like laundry and bill paying and call my brother, etc. all ok. the driving range is really flooded over and will be useless for awhile. will need a new strategy if i am to get any golf in this week. i did swing the heavy club my daily 30 times and will putt some later inside. the backyard is already a goner so nothing doing back there.
still raining so can only hope the river slows down. time will tell and we will do what we have to. the cats are in for the winter at least. they don't get to go out during the winter months.
and that has been the day so far. lots of web stuff done.also spent 3o minutes getting my lost address book back on line and somehow it is again. not sure how that happened or what i did. doubt it was me.
will stretch and lift some later.
was able to get a live link to gail so she can see the blog but it didn't go live to beth. had lost jill's email which i have again now.
194 and a wakeup to go. it's not viet nam for sure , but i/m not 20 years old anymore either.
up the train trail and over walton lane to woodstock road stopping at londi's to buy some water and then back over to the trail and headed south. thought about trying the river but it made no sense and by now i was 6 miles or so into the run. had started feeling better about 4 miles in and decided to go down and come back up and run 10 instead of 8. worked out ok as i finished at the grocery store feeling pretty good and after buying some more yogurt and a tuna sandwich and some granary bread headed home on my 1/2 mile cooldown.
decent effort after slow start and about an hour of the run was in my 70% zone and maybe 7 minutes was just over as i strided out on the hill up from the carpark and did it three times to change the effect of flat ground.
then home to do inside stuff like laundry and bill paying and call my brother, etc. all ok. the driving range is really flooded over and will be useless for awhile. will need a new strategy if i am to get any golf in this week. i did swing the heavy club my daily 30 times and will putt some later inside. the backyard is already a goner so nothing doing back there.
still raining so can only hope the river slows down. time will tell and we will do what we have to. the cats are in for the winter at least. they don't get to go out during the winter months.
and that has been the day so far. lots of web stuff done.also spent 3o minutes getting my lost address book back on line and somehow it is again. not sure how that happened or what i did. doubt it was me.
will stretch and lift some later.
was able to get a live link to gail so she can see the blog but it didn't go live to beth. had lost jill's email which i have again now.
194 and a wakeup to go. it's not viet nam for sure , but i/m not 20 years old anymore either.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
long walk and flooding
today i gave my legs a small break sort of and walked around town for 3 hours, even stopping at the info center to pick up some info on the thames trail, as i start to plan a ride to london, some 70+ miles away in the spring.
got home to find a notice that our neighborhood is in real danger and expected to be flooded sometime later today as the thames rises. walked down to the driving range and it was under water as is the neighborhood playground at the community center. with 5 days of heavy rain forecasted ahead, it doesn't look too good and now the fates will decide who gets flooded and who doesn't.
going back out to see what is going on----------------
got home to find a notice that our neighborhood is in real danger and expected to be flooded sometime later today as the thames rises. walked down to the driving range and it was under water as is the neighborhood playground at the community center. with 5 days of heavy rain forecasted ahead, it doesn't look too good and now the fates will decide who gets flooded and who doesn't.
going back out to see what is going on----------------
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
uneventful day so far: will we flood?
so far so good today. got up and ran 5 miles with several short striders to work on some leg turnover. could tell quads were still a little sore, but got through it ok. then off to the grocery store and later to the public market; all added another 3 miles of walking.
then in the afternoon went to continue working on swing change. hit ok and need to see if i want to change set my some more.
the big news of course here is the coming of the floods so they say. most of the surrounding farmland is under water as is half of the driving range and i am sure the river trail, which i didn't bother to think about running on today.
came home from the range to find a warning letter from EPA saying they expect our street to flood tonight and offering sandbags. they did say it would not be as bad as july and so we should not need any bags. the carpark across the street was under water this morning at the bottom of the hill. time will tell.
all else ok. will see how the flooding goes. they are predicting heavy rain and/or showers for the next 5 days. should be interesting.
then in the afternoon went to continue working on swing change. hit ok and need to see if i want to change set my some more.
the big news of course here is the coming of the floods so they say. most of the surrounding farmland is under water as is half of the driving range and i am sure the river trail, which i didn't bother to think about running on today.
came home from the range to find a warning letter from EPA saying they expect our street to flood tonight and offering sandbags. they did say it would not be as bad as july and so we should not need any bags. the carpark across the street was under water this morning at the bottom of the hill. time will tell.
all else ok. will see how the flooding goes. they are predicting heavy rain and/or showers for the next 5 days. should be interesting.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
another rainy day in Oxford;still tired
well, today proved what i believed-that i was strong enough to do yesterday's 10 mile run and not recovered enough to not suffer from it. went out today in a pretty decent rain storm and died pretty quickly. still, you have to get home right so i kept going until i had "covered" 6 miles. would hate to say i "ran" it.
was pretty enough out despite the rain and i was not used to seeing so much farmland under water. what i need is a couple of solid days off. my morning heart rate was 46, up 1 from yesterday, but a good indication that my heart is in better shape than my legs right now. gone are the 38-41 heart rate days of yesteryear. but 45 is now my recovered rate. saw my blonde bike rider friend who was on her way to school and she told me it rains more in april and she was worried about her village flooding again. kudoos to her for riding to school in this rain. she was the only person i saw while i was out.
after shower , food and chores, i went to the range to see if i could recapture the great swing of yesterday. no and yes... it took a while and some so-so hitting before i think i figured out the lack of consistency problem. the first 2 feet of the takeaway is where i was screwing up. once i figured it out i had just enough time to hit 60 balls or so and head off to my book club. i hit the last balls really solidly and high and farther.. i am like 2 totally different golfers and i am not going to be that. i will figure this out!!
then cleanup and walk up to cornmarket for the club meet-about 18 of us there. this month we read and saw "kite runner". a really mixed reaction to the book, but generally liked . will meet twice next month on my suggestion as a compromise to some people not being able to make tuesday. with 53 members this was a good compromise. several good books were put forward to be voted on.
then ran back in a heavy rain. a nice way of getting 3 more miles in or so. legs actually felt better tonight than this morning. wonder how much the golf practice and being on my feet for 3 more hours interferes with the running.
all in all another day done. have emails to answer and mail to write out, but tomorrow is another day after a trip to the public farmer's market. not supposed to rain. ha!
want to work out a better schedule for a bit and see if it helps. more time off and some more speedwork. then tighten up the schedule of races to try and do. will run rochester marathon and erie endurance classic for sure in sept and oct. will figure out the rest.
wonder if nevada will let kucinich in to the debate. will the south vote for obama ? do too many people not like hillary enough to not vote for her? can anyone vote for any of the republicans? yes, but why? how much embarrassment can one country stand? how many times must i be asked how we could ever have voted bush for president? what country will i move to if huckabee somehow wins?
under 200 days to go.
was pretty enough out despite the rain and i was not used to seeing so much farmland under water. what i need is a couple of solid days off. my morning heart rate was 46, up 1 from yesterday, but a good indication that my heart is in better shape than my legs right now. gone are the 38-41 heart rate days of yesteryear. but 45 is now my recovered rate. saw my blonde bike rider friend who was on her way to school and she told me it rains more in april and she was worried about her village flooding again. kudoos to her for riding to school in this rain. she was the only person i saw while i was out.
after shower , food and chores, i went to the range to see if i could recapture the great swing of yesterday. no and yes... it took a while and some so-so hitting before i think i figured out the lack of consistency problem. the first 2 feet of the takeaway is where i was screwing up. once i figured it out i had just enough time to hit 60 balls or so and head off to my book club. i hit the last balls really solidly and high and farther.. i am like 2 totally different golfers and i am not going to be that. i will figure this out!!
then cleanup and walk up to cornmarket for the club meet-about 18 of us there. this month we read and saw "kite runner". a really mixed reaction to the book, but generally liked . will meet twice next month on my suggestion as a compromise to some people not being able to make tuesday. with 53 members this was a good compromise. several good books were put forward to be voted on.
then ran back in a heavy rain. a nice way of getting 3 more miles in or so. legs actually felt better tonight than this morning. wonder how much the golf practice and being on my feet for 3 more hours interferes with the running.
all in all another day done. have emails to answer and mail to write out, but tomorrow is another day after a trip to the public farmer's market. not supposed to rain. ha!
want to work out a better schedule for a bit and see if it helps. more time off and some more speedwork. then tighten up the schedule of races to try and do. will run rochester marathon and erie endurance classic for sure in sept and oct. will figure out the rest.
wonder if nevada will let kucinich in to the debate. will the south vote for obama ? do too many people not like hillary enough to not vote for her? can anyone vote for any of the republicans? yes, but why? how much embarrassment can one country stand? how many times must i be asked how we could ever have voted bush for president? what country will i move to if huckabee somehow wins?
under 200 days to go.
Monday, January 14, 2008
good day at the range, etc
trying to recapture some of the old golf swing lost to the attempt at developing a one and/or two plane swing with a thrown in attempt at "swing like a pro", i have now gone to a hybrid version. this works the best for me as it did when i had my lowest handicap. having been told by pro's i am not flexible enough to have a one plane and just plain old not liking the two plane, i have used the knowledge gained and combined some of those with some of ralhp mann and come up with a way of hitting the ball straight again. memo to self- clear the hips faster and drop the left arm; keep the right foot down until impact and the head behind the ball; with a slightly earlier wrist cock and a slightly longer swing i have gained about 10-15 yards and am hitting the 3 iron like never before; will lose this swing of course because golf swings are like game of hide and seek and will frustrate anybody who takes up the game and doesn't get it right away;
all this while the wind was blowing like crazy and the rain was teaming down and 30% of the range was under water. working with the weighted club has been great and everyone would probably benefit from it; or at least most people would --couch couch;
and onto south carolina and michigan. will be interesting to see what happens. my guys are all out already and i am left to hope for my next tier.
on a more local note- the tree hugger guy was gtaken down today in bonn square and the 100 year old tree is gone. doubt that would have happened in alexandria, va.
with an eye on the left heel and wanting no recurrence of my old heel spur, i will stay short tomorrow. today went well and in the training mode was a good run and more important than any short effort tomorrow. if it goes ok i will try some strider wed. next week will start back to the track if the weather is even a little cooperative. not the same a sdriving there and just getting out of the car and running.
actually have to write some real letters now andc will stop. still trying to figure out how to get this ot to the people i want to, but will eventually.
198 days to go-
ps---with 184 marathons behind me can i do 16 more and does it matter?
all this while the wind was blowing like crazy and the rain was teaming down and 30% of the range was under water. working with the weighted club has been great and everyone would probably benefit from it; or at least most people would --couch couch;
and onto south carolina and michigan. will be interesting to see what happens. my guys are all out already and i am left to hope for my next tier.
on a more local note- the tree hugger guy was gtaken down today in bonn square and the 100 year old tree is gone. doubt that would have happened in alexandria, va.
with an eye on the left heel and wanting no recurrence of my old heel spur, i will stay short tomorrow. today went well and in the training mode was a good run and more important than any short effort tomorrow. if it goes ok i will try some strider wed. next week will start back to the track if the weather is even a little cooperative. not the same a sdriving there and just getting out of the car and running.
actually have to write some real letters now andc will stop. still trying to figure out how to get this ot to the people i want to, but will eventually.
198 days to go-
ps---with 184 marathons behind me can i do 16 more and does it matter?
10 mile day
first of two posts--short and sweet i ran 10 miles this morning after oversleeping a bit;; read too late last night about periodzation and then didn't get up as usual. but ran out botley to near cumnor and then up to wytham and then over to wolvercote and then to the oxford canal and then down the canal thru the railroad station and stopped at the store to et some yogurt and cereal.
all in a decent effort; keep an eye on the left heel-- felt strong though a tad tired about 5 minutes in;; could tell i need another easy day or two to recover more completely , but that is one of the things i wanted to see today; and a lot of the run was uphill also. will stretch more than i have been in the future and make the easy days easier and commit to a day off every week and 2 days off every other week and see how that works. has been hard to set a schedule and keep itdue to several things-weather , food , tred, gail's schedule and flooding on the river and canal. but i only missed 18 days last year so i have been pretty consistent. not doing the 200 mile bike weeks right now so getting more miles in. will be glad to be home and do both instead of just one. easier to stay fresher that way and also the bike clearly helps my leg tuunover;; ran 10 by 42 yard striders the other day and that will help also;
supposed to rain every day and will see how that plays on the shedule.
the color of the sky here never ceases to amaze me;; just how different it is from back home and why the paintings here are different -like constable and even monet's;
back later-
all in a decent effort; keep an eye on the left heel-- felt strong though a tad tired about 5 minutes in;; could tell i need another easy day or two to recover more completely , but that is one of the things i wanted to see today; and a lot of the run was uphill also. will stretch more than i have been in the future and make the easy days easier and commit to a day off every week and 2 days off every other week and see how that works. has been hard to set a schedule and keep itdue to several things-weather , food , tred, gail's schedule and flooding on the river and canal. but i only missed 18 days last year so i have been pretty consistent. not doing the 200 mile bike weeks right now so getting more miles in. will be glad to be home and do both instead of just one. easier to stay fresher that way and also the bike clearly helps my leg tuunover;; ran 10 by 42 yard striders the other day and that will help also;
supposed to rain every day and will see how that plays on the shedule.
the color of the sky here never ceases to amaze me;; just how different it is from back home and why the paintings here are different -like constable and even monet's;
back later-
Sunday, January 13, 2008
tired day
today was the tired day i anticipated that it would be after yesterday's run. with not enough to do here i am going to have to be more disciplined into taking some time off now and then rather than wait for the wall to fall on me during a run. each step today was like the 25th mile of a hard marathon and all of my little tricks i have learned over the years to perk it up didn't work, so i cut it off about 5 miles and went to buy a newspaper. unfortunatly the tried must have carried over to the golf range and the really great day of practice yesterday was not there today.
so gave the day up to relaxing and some house chores and a little BBC. all in all a pleasant enough day. still need to figure out some stuff about this site so it will work better and will tr to spend some time on it tomorrow.
interesting watching america from a distance and getting the news with the uk slant. we live in a neighborhhod that is tuly working people and it is hard enough for people to just carry on the day to day grind of life walking and riding their bikes to work in the rain and being 1.5 miles from the grocery store and paying over 5 bucks to have ashirt cleaned and gas would be about $10.20 a gallon. if they sold it in gallons. hard to complain about $3. but it would be easier if we had a dryer here instead of having to turn the house into a clothesline wikth running, golf, and biking clothes as well as work clothes for gail.
this week starts track work with the schedule that i wrote up. will haveto get a little rest first. i have no illusions about being anywhere near as fast as i used to be. i just enjoy running on the track and doing some form of speedwork. it cost me $70 for a year membership to the only public track around that is 2+ miles from here and i have run to a few times. it is in the stadium that roger bannister broke 4 minutes, though the track is new-and running somewhat hard, i ran an 8:14 mile there in my last attempt. a ways to go as they say to get under 7-my stated goal. ha.
i remember when everyone over 40 wanted to break 4 minutes. the problem is staying healthy enough to do the hard stuff. i can see i still have some short speed, but trying to do the long stuff needed breaks me down and i am trying a real build up approach. that is why i am tired also.
enough for now. will figure out this blog stuff as i go. happy birthday nto ray r wherever you might be right now.
so gave the day up to relaxing and some house chores and a little BBC. all in all a pleasant enough day. still need to figure out some stuff about this site so it will work better and will tr to spend some time on it tomorrow.
interesting watching america from a distance and getting the news with the uk slant. we live in a neighborhhod that is tuly working people and it is hard enough for people to just carry on the day to day grind of life walking and riding their bikes to work in the rain and being 1.5 miles from the grocery store and paying over 5 bucks to have ashirt cleaned and gas would be about $10.20 a gallon. if they sold it in gallons. hard to complain about $3. but it would be easier if we had a dryer here instead of having to turn the house into a clothesline wikth running, golf, and biking clothes as well as work clothes for gail.
this week starts track work with the schedule that i wrote up. will haveto get a little rest first. i have no illusions about being anywhere near as fast as i used to be. i just enjoy running on the track and doing some form of speedwork. it cost me $70 for a year membership to the only public track around that is 2+ miles from here and i have run to a few times. it is in the stadium that roger bannister broke 4 minutes, though the track is new-and running somewhat hard, i ran an 8:14 mile there in my last attempt. a ways to go as they say to get under 7-my stated goal. ha.
i remember when everyone over 40 wanted to break 4 minutes. the problem is staying healthy enough to do the hard stuff. i can see i still have some short speed, but trying to do the long stuff needed breaks me down and i am trying a real build up approach. that is why i am tired also.
enough for now. will figure out this blog stuff as i go. happy birthday nto ray r wherever you might be right now.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
day to day in the UK
how does one write a blog and not make it into a personal diary? was hoping to actually just put thoughts down on paper, so to speak, and see if i can get any personal insight into where i am headed next. first thing i learned is that this will probably be easier if i am not tired to start out with.
today was another typical day while temporarily living in the UK. got up and ran and walked 7 miles on a rare non-rainy day. later hit balls at the driving range while working on new grip and swing. then did some paperwork and went to the movies and saw "charle's wilson's war". about a "b" for the movie with some good acting and some funny parts, but at the same time, hard to watch stuff on an old, but continuing war. having been to viet nam i learned first hand that war is not romantic, though i was lucky enough to not have been involved in day to day fighting.
now, a few weeks short of turning 61 and having been retired for time, i am in the midst of trying to get back into some kind of running/racing form -enough to go back and do some races and have some fun with it. and, at the same time, find the old golf swing that i lost somewhere between trying to be a one plane or two plane swinger. the golf is coming back faster than the running for sure.
will be interesting to see if i can keep writing this for me and not see as i type what others who read it will think about it. never have been insecure about much and will be interested to see if i start now. knowing what i don't know should prove helpful. but not knowing what i am searching for will be something..will see..
have averaged 58 miles a week running and walking now for the past 20 weeks and my legs are dead enough. time to cut back as i planned to do around my birthday and get back on the track and start some interval work. the hills have been fun sort of and have done some strider stuff working on leg turnover. now to try and see what is still in me speedwise while also trying to discover what amount of rest is needed.
anyway- will see what develops. being in the uk gives me lots of free time but day to day life is harder in many ways without the comforts of home, having a car and not having family and friends here. 201 days to go.
this is a start..............
today was another typical day while temporarily living in the UK. got up and ran and walked 7 miles on a rare non-rainy day. later hit balls at the driving range while working on new grip and swing. then did some paperwork and went to the movies and saw "charle's wilson's war". about a "b" for the movie with some good acting and some funny parts, but at the same time, hard to watch stuff on an old, but continuing war. having been to viet nam i learned first hand that war is not romantic, though i was lucky enough to not have been involved in day to day fighting.
now, a few weeks short of turning 61 and having been retired for time, i am in the midst of trying to get back into some kind of running/racing form -enough to go back and do some races and have some fun with it. and, at the same time, find the old golf swing that i lost somewhere between trying to be a one plane or two plane swinger. the golf is coming back faster than the running for sure.
will be interesting to see if i can keep writing this for me and not see as i type what others who read it will think about it. never have been insecure about much and will be interested to see if i start now. knowing what i don't know should prove helpful. but not knowing what i am searching for will be something..will see..
have averaged 58 miles a week running and walking now for the past 20 weeks and my legs are dead enough. time to cut back as i planned to do around my birthday and get back on the track and start some interval work. the hills have been fun sort of and have done some strider stuff working on leg turnover. now to try and see what is still in me speedwise while also trying to discover what amount of rest is needed.
anyway- will see what develops. being in the uk gives me lots of free time but day to day life is harder in many ways without the comforts of home, having a car and not having family and friends here. 201 days to go.
this is a start..............
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