I am currently shaking my fist at Winter. It is trying hard, really hard, to get to me. I am doing my best to plow through and forge ahead. I knew this week was going to be a tough one. I believe the worst will be tomorrow but I am moving through it. I am picking myself up and going on.
I have had five consecutive workout days. I have had a total of 25 miles in those five days. I was supposed to take today off but braved the blustery cold and made it to the gym just the same. Oh no, don't be foolish. There is no way I would be able to even attempt to run outdoors. No way. I would melt like the wicked witch of the west. I would be a trembling, chattering, jittering mass of flesh. So I am doing what I can and even that isn't as easy as it may sound.
During this time of year there is nothing more I want to do than stay at home. I obviously can't stay at home when I need to make an appearance at work but otherwise I go directly home, do not pass go, do not collect $200. And yet I have made five, count them, five consecutive workout days. It is a very brave thing I am doing here. No one should have to wander out in these conditions but I have been doing it.
So I shake my clenched fist at you, Winter! You haven't been able to catch me yet.
TT
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Cheap talk
The thing most on my mind this morning is that I have little to no time. The other is writing but I don't think I want to write about that now. I don't think I do. I could go into the mechanics and what I have been doing about it that doesn't present itself here but like I already said I don't think I want to talk about it.
I will say I am a little excited about it. I have been losing a few moments of time unexpectedly while doing it. So that already is more information than I want to say.
Talk is way too cheap. I talked, moaned, prattled and went on and on for a year already about it.
Not this time.
TT
I will say I am a little excited about it. I have been losing a few moments of time unexpectedly while doing it. So that already is more information than I want to say.
Talk is way too cheap. I talked, moaned, prattled and went on and on for a year already about it.
Not this time.
TT
Monday, January 10, 2011
Remake
I have managed to actually watch two movies in the past two Sundays. Let me explain that I don't watch many movies. If I had to take a survey about the number of movies I see in a year they would have to create a new check box. Mine would be somewhere at the top and would probably look like this: 0-3.
Okay...maybe it would be 0-5. I might need to adjust it since I've already seen two already in two weeks.
The thing about these two movies on two Sundays is that it was the same movie. So does that count as one movie seen twice? No, not really. I would have to say they were two movies. One movie was produced recently and one was produced back in 1976.
I saw the most recent one at the movies last week with Jay. He is a fan of westerns and there aren't many of those being made any more. If there were I would probably have to adjust my survey meter a bit again.
So I didn't mind when he suggest last week that we go and check out the remake of this movie. It, of course, was True Grit. It would be easy enough to figure out if you are not like me and actually know what is showing at the movies. I don't believe there are many other westerns...but then I don't really know, do I?
Jay, like many others, is a great John Wayne fan. He has probably seen all or as close to all of the movies he has made including extremely early titles that no one heard of before they marketed the poor things on DVD (or was it VHS) and made the only money they could from them there. So he has seen quite a few John Wayne movies. As we came out of the theatre from the remade movie I could have predicted his comment but I waited for him to say it on his own. I didn't have to wait long. We hadn't even gotten into the car and he already had said, "It was good...but it wasn't John Wayne." Gads, how predictable!
And that's okay. I actually enjoyed the movie.
Then yesterday we were able to download the John Wayne version...the original...and watch it. The script was almost the same. There were blocks of dialogue that matched word for word. There were some minor differences but the remake stayed very true to the original. The action seemed much more focused in the newer version. It moved right along and kept the intensity. I think in the old version I saw too many wide shots of riders on horseback with panoramic views. In fact, at one point, Jay asked during one of these scenes in the original..."Doesn't that look kind of like the same scenery from the remake?" My reply was, "I don't remember a whole lot of these scenes in the new movie. I didn't know we were watching the travel channel."
So the original seemed longer since things didn't move along as well. But both were very good. I am not saying either/or although there were just a few differences that might be accountable to the fact that movies aren't made the same way as they were before. Times and the way we do things change.
My take is that the main character is Rooster Cogburn. John Wayne played Rooster as John Wayne. Jeff Bridges played Rooster as Rooster. I preferred Bridges. Hands down not a second thought about it. He was a dirty, drunken, trigger happy, rough old guy. He was Rooster Cogburn.
So, it was a good two movies. And who would I have preferred to go on this rough, tough, dirty hunt with? Jeff Bridges any day...bet he cleans up real good.
TT
Okay...maybe it would be 0-5. I might need to adjust it since I've already seen two already in two weeks.
The thing about these two movies on two Sundays is that it was the same movie. So does that count as one movie seen twice? No, not really. I would have to say they were two movies. One movie was produced recently and one was produced back in 1976.
I saw the most recent one at the movies last week with Jay. He is a fan of westerns and there aren't many of those being made any more. If there were I would probably have to adjust my survey meter a bit again.
So I didn't mind when he suggest last week that we go and check out the remake of this movie. It, of course, was True Grit. It would be easy enough to figure out if you are not like me and actually know what is showing at the movies. I don't believe there are many other westerns...but then I don't really know, do I?
Jay, like many others, is a great John Wayne fan. He has probably seen all or as close to all of the movies he has made including extremely early titles that no one heard of before they marketed the poor things on DVD (or was it VHS) and made the only money they could from them there. So he has seen quite a few John Wayne movies. As we came out of the theatre from the remade movie I could have predicted his comment but I waited for him to say it on his own. I didn't have to wait long. We hadn't even gotten into the car and he already had said, "It was good...but it wasn't John Wayne." Gads, how predictable!
And that's okay. I actually enjoyed the movie.
Then yesterday we were able to download the John Wayne version...the original...and watch it. The script was almost the same. There were blocks of dialogue that matched word for word. There were some minor differences but the remake stayed very true to the original. The action seemed much more focused in the newer version. It moved right along and kept the intensity. I think in the old version I saw too many wide shots of riders on horseback with panoramic views. In fact, at one point, Jay asked during one of these scenes in the original..."Doesn't that look kind of like the same scenery from the remake?" My reply was, "I don't remember a whole lot of these scenes in the new movie. I didn't know we were watching the travel channel."
So the original seemed longer since things didn't move along as well. But both were very good. I am not saying either/or although there were just a few differences that might be accountable to the fact that movies aren't made the same way as they were before. Times and the way we do things change.
My take is that the main character is Rooster Cogburn. John Wayne played Rooster as John Wayne. Jeff Bridges played Rooster as Rooster. I preferred Bridges. Hands down not a second thought about it. He was a dirty, drunken, trigger happy, rough old guy. He was Rooster Cogburn.
So, it was a good two movies. And who would I have preferred to go on this rough, tough, dirty hunt with? Jeff Bridges any day...bet he cleans up real good.
TT
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Selfish habit
It is still dark outside on this early Sunday morning and I didn't make much coffee. I have the last of all my laundry tumbling noisily in the dryer and I am working with only the beam of my desk lamp spotlighting my laptop screen. It's a neat way to start up the day.
I will probably want more coffee but it was intentional that I didn't make an overly amount this morning. I am planning on getting myself to the gym nice and early and the lack of coffee will help push me out the door once there is some light outside.
I know you don't really need a run down of what is going on with me but it isn't really about me spilling everything that comes along in my day to day. I have really become very selfish about this space right here. This blog and these posts. It isn't about giving anybody a run down of me or anything else, but it is a way for me to puts words into sentences. I am thinking only of myself when I sit here and try to smudge the page with a recollection or description of something that might have happened. I can't always come up with interesting topics so sometimes I rely on everyday instances. Like how this room is still and dark except for a single light and the only sound in the house is the tumbling of clothes in a dryer.
I wonder if you can picture it the way I am experiencing it here, right now. I keep practicing by bringing up these images and smudging the page about nothing in particular.
Such a selfish habit.
TT
I will probably want more coffee but it was intentional that I didn't make an overly amount this morning. I am planning on getting myself to the gym nice and early and the lack of coffee will help push me out the door once there is some light outside.
I know you don't really need a run down of what is going on with me but it isn't really about me spilling everything that comes along in my day to day. I have really become very selfish about this space right here. This blog and these posts. It isn't about giving anybody a run down of me or anything else, but it is a way for me to puts words into sentences. I am thinking only of myself when I sit here and try to smudge the page with a recollection or description of something that might have happened. I can't always come up with interesting topics so sometimes I rely on everyday instances. Like how this room is still and dark except for a single light and the only sound in the house is the tumbling of clothes in a dryer.
I wonder if you can picture it the way I am experiencing it here, right now. I keep practicing by bringing up these images and smudging the page about nothing in particular.
Such a selfish habit.
TT
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Race day
I ran a 10K this morning.
I had found a race over a year ago when I was searching distance runs online. I search quite a few races online but this one caught my interest. That year I had just missed it by a few weeks but the distance and the location really pulled me in. It was in January and I would need to drive 5 hours south to get there but that meant it would be warmer. That was a big plus in its favor. Then the race didn't actually start until an unusually late 10:00am. Most races start much earlier in the mornings. That late start meant that the temperatures would have a chance to get even higher. That was another big bonus. I am all for warmer temperatures. The best part was that I wouldn't be in unfamiliar territory. In fact, I am so familiar with this area that I knew exactly where the starting line was and I knew exactly where we would finish. It only made me want to participate even more when the run would actually take us over water. Now, come on, how much more could I ask for to make it a better run? I knew I would need to keep it in mind for the next time around.
So I would check and search for it every so often. It took a while before the new date was finally posted but once I knew when it was I wrote it down and kept my eye on it. I would go back and check every so often to see if the site had any other updates. I didn't really need to check since I was already pretty informed about what would take place. I only needed to make arrangements. I thought about taking a Friday off to drive and pick up my packet. I would then have to stay overnight and then either drive back after the race or stay another day. I hadn't worked it all out.
As the date got closer I was realizing the timing of traveling to this race might not work. I tried to figure out how it could be done but kept running into one reason or another why it wasn't working out so well. It was one of those times where it just wasn't as convenient to get everything properly lined up.
The race was today at 10:00am. I didn't go and I missed it.
But I did go to the gym today and purposely ran a 10K at about the same time this run was taking place. I didn't have a race bib and I wasn't lined up with hundreds of other runners but I was thinking about the starting line and moving over that water as I ran. I wasn't flanked by other participants but I was lined up with other runners on either side of me. I had a rough time at mile 3.25 but kept pushing through knowing I was half way there. It could have been that same way if I was running 5 driving hours away instead of at the gym on a treadmill.
So I didn't run the actual race but I did run a 10K today. I could be feeling really bad about missing it but I don't. I feel really good about today.
TT
I had found a race over a year ago when I was searching distance runs online. I search quite a few races online but this one caught my interest. That year I had just missed it by a few weeks but the distance and the location really pulled me in. It was in January and I would need to drive 5 hours south to get there but that meant it would be warmer. That was a big plus in its favor. Then the race didn't actually start until an unusually late 10:00am. Most races start much earlier in the mornings. That late start meant that the temperatures would have a chance to get even higher. That was another big bonus. I am all for warmer temperatures. The best part was that I wouldn't be in unfamiliar territory. In fact, I am so familiar with this area that I knew exactly where the starting line was and I knew exactly where we would finish. It only made me want to participate even more when the run would actually take us over water. Now, come on, how much more could I ask for to make it a better run? I knew I would need to keep it in mind for the next time around.
So I would check and search for it every so often. It took a while before the new date was finally posted but once I knew when it was I wrote it down and kept my eye on it. I would go back and check every so often to see if the site had any other updates. I didn't really need to check since I was already pretty informed about what would take place. I only needed to make arrangements. I thought about taking a Friday off to drive and pick up my packet. I would then have to stay overnight and then either drive back after the race or stay another day. I hadn't worked it all out.
As the date got closer I was realizing the timing of traveling to this race might not work. I tried to figure out how it could be done but kept running into one reason or another why it wasn't working out so well. It was one of those times where it just wasn't as convenient to get everything properly lined up.
The race was today at 10:00am. I didn't go and I missed it.
But I did go to the gym today and purposely ran a 10K at about the same time this run was taking place. I didn't have a race bib and I wasn't lined up with hundreds of other runners but I was thinking about the starting line and moving over that water as I ran. I wasn't flanked by other participants but I was lined up with other runners on either side of me. I had a rough time at mile 3.25 but kept pushing through knowing I was half way there. It could have been that same way if I was running 5 driving hours away instead of at the gym on a treadmill.
So I didn't run the actual race but I did run a 10K today. I could be feeling really bad about missing it but I don't. I feel really good about today.
TT
Friday, January 7, 2011
Free Friday
I just need a moment here. Just as I powered up my laptop I realized it's Free Friday so had to run downstairs to gather up my Nook. You might not know about Free Friday but I discovered an icon on my device called The Daily. Now this is where they will post updates to the device but I discovered early on that they will also present a book to download for free or sometimes for a nominal amount, say $1.99, on Fridays. I have downloaded 7 freebies so far. They usually offer me detective novels since I read a score of those. Their marketing department must think it is working well since I discovered Dennis Lehane from a Free Friday download. I've since bought four additional of his novels and will probably purchase the next one in the series soon.
So here...let me look...it's not only Free Friday but it says: Extra Special Free Fridays Bonus. Give me a moment to see what that is about.
Oh...not such an extra special bonus for me. It seems today they are offering Kaplan Publishing books which are 130 textbooks and PSAT, SAT, GMAT prep books for free. Ah well, I am in the middle of another novel right now anyway and still have last Fridays free book still waiting for me. It's the first in the series of another detective novel, this one by the name of Kendall O'Dell, written by Sylvia Nobel. Nope. Never read any of her books before but then I'll give most anything a try and it was free. Almost like a friend leaving me a book on my desk to read. Well, not quite. I can't get together and talk about it when I return it, since I don't return it to anyone and it stays in my library until I archive it. But it's a great way to find new books. I don't download all that are free but I have read some authors I might not have picked up on my own. And well, so, I didn't luck out this Friday but no matter.
This device is just the coolest.
TT
So here...let me look...it's not only Free Friday but it says: Extra Special Free Fridays Bonus. Give me a moment to see what that is about.
Oh...not such an extra special bonus for me. It seems today they are offering Kaplan Publishing books which are 130 textbooks and PSAT, SAT, GMAT prep books for free. Ah well, I am in the middle of another novel right now anyway and still have last Fridays free book still waiting for me. It's the first in the series of another detective novel, this one by the name of Kendall O'Dell, written by Sylvia Nobel. Nope. Never read any of her books before but then I'll give most anything a try and it was free. Almost like a friend leaving me a book on my desk to read. Well, not quite. I can't get together and talk about it when I return it, since I don't return it to anyone and it stays in my library until I archive it. But it's a great way to find new books. I don't download all that are free but I have read some authors I might not have picked up on my own. And well, so, I didn't luck out this Friday but no matter.
This device is just the coolest.
TT
For fun
Okay, quick. Think of something, funny, easy, witty, and light to talk about. I have to admit that has been in my thoughts lately. It's been in my thoughts but somehow I can't seem to come up with the funny, easy, witty and light topic to talk about. It's there somewhere. I know it is but it hasn't been able to surface for some reason and I might be at the point when I am trying too hard and it won't happen.
I can't make a topic with those four things by bulldozing over them. I can't force light and easy. It becomes pissed and pushed. Like, "hey stop...what did we do to you?!?" That's not exactly what I am going for. I think funny and witty almost have to be spontaneous if it's going to be real enough to translate. If I try to coerce something into being funny and witty I end up with blank stares and raised eyebrows. Like, "oh (titter, hehe) cute."
And yet I keep trying. I will leave the spot here for all the sentences I deleted....(Place excuses here ___________________________________________________________________).
And yet I keep trying and eventually it will come to me when I least expect it. I just have to stay on the look-out for the misplaced salt shaker or the unusual parking or the just slightly askewed something that briefly catches my eye and puts a grin on my face.
I'll keep watching for those types of funny, easy, witty, and light things today. You might try it, too. Just for fun.
TT
I can't make a topic with those four things by bulldozing over them. I can't force light and easy. It becomes pissed and pushed. Like, "hey stop...what did we do to you?!?" That's not exactly what I am going for. I think funny and witty almost have to be spontaneous if it's going to be real enough to translate. If I try to coerce something into being funny and witty I end up with blank stares and raised eyebrows. Like, "oh (titter, hehe) cute."
And yet I keep trying. I will leave the spot here for all the sentences I deleted....(Place excuses here ___________________________________________________________________).
And yet I keep trying and eventually it will come to me when I least expect it. I just have to stay on the look-out for the misplaced salt shaker or the unusual parking or the just slightly askewed something that briefly catches my eye and puts a grin on my face.
I'll keep watching for those types of funny, easy, witty, and light things today. You might try it, too. Just for fun.
TT
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