Earworm

I have an eclectic taste in music.  Over the years, I've been all over the road.  From Country to Classical to New Age to Jazz to old folk music.  Back in high school, I was into Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper and Yes.  It spoke to my nature at the time.  In college, I fell in love with country music.  Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rusty Wier were a few of my favorites.  When I joined the Army and ran off to Europe, I lived off of more country music (Hank Williams, Mickey Gilley, Eddie Rabbit, Clint Black) and 80's hits.  But after 4+ years in Deutschland, Danke Shoen started to sound old to me.  When I finally migrated back to Texas, landed in Dallas and began my affair with New Age/Jazz.  Red Dust & Spanish Lace (Acoustic Alchemy) became my theme song for a while.  Got into a lot of instrumental new age stuff.  George Winston, Phillip Aaberg, Joe Sample, Chic Corea, Yellowjackets, Fourplay, were all in my playlist.  I found one station in Dallas that had no DJ's and played this music pretty much 24/7 and I recorded several hours worth of tapes for road trips.  Eventually, we moved back to south Texas and my daily work commute jumped significantly (1 hour) so I had a lot of windshield time to listen to various stations.  Talk, sports, rock, country, would bounce around the dial at times.  At some point I got hooked on Flamenco Guitar (Jesse Cook, Govi, Ottmar Liebert).  I would hear one song I liked and go out and find the CD at the bookstore.  When I watched "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?", I became hooked on folk/gospel music.  When I finally made the switch to the iPod, my playlist exploded.  Now a days, you'll likely find a whole hodgepodge of tunes.  Rodney Crowell, Robert Earl King, Sting, Chris Isaak, Phil Collins,  Nina Simone.  A good number of songs I picked up along the as running tunes, while others fit the mood of the moment.  I just added a couple Harry Belafonte tunes on a whim (Day-O).  That's the interesting thing about the changing landscape of music and technology.  Years ago, if I liked an artist, I would go out to buy the album and try to record it to tape.  Then CDs became the new medium for music and I spent years converting over my albums into CDs.  Now, with on line music and the iTunes store, if you hear a song you like in a movie, you can go out and pick it up for less than a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato.  As I continue to drive Elvis around town, I am finding the advances in technology interesting.  Not only can I link my iPhone to the car radio (can it really be called a radio anymore?) but I can play my music directly from the phone.  And since Elvis came with Sirius (satellite radio), I have discovered a whole new range of things to listen to.  I can spend the drive home listening to comedy bits on Blue Collar Radio.   

As much as I try to keep up with the times, the changes in technology is still amazing.  It is interesting to learn the things you can do with your smart phone.  I stumbled across this clip from one of my sites and the tune got stuck in my head (earworm).  An old tune but the way this guy did it made me run out and buy it on iTunes.  

Of course, I'll keep the comments about hookahs to myself.  

Run On

I've been debating posting about this.  Better people out there have been way more eloquent.  I have to admit, I don't handle these situations well.  I am torn between sorrow and rage.  I mean, what kind of f'd up world are we living in?  I really don't know what to say to comfort those in pain.  Anything I say I feel is either stupid or lame, but I want express my grief/sympathy.  ShadowRun and Abby put it way better than I ever could.  I've been reading all the tributes and comments on the web and really haven't found the words to do justice to how I feel.  I feel a connection with the runners and spectators in Boston.  Whenever they hold one of these events, I feel their pain/exhilaration of accomplishment.  With my running, I have signed up for several blogs/sites that provide inspirational tips and suggestions.  One that hit yesterday from long time runner Roger Robinson of Runner’s World seemed to sum it up for me:   

Marathon running has a long tradition of celebrating, commemorating, and affirming life. The original Olympic marathon in 1896 was to commemorate the man who carried the news of a victory for freedom. The first Boston Marathon a year later followed that idea by honoring the ride of Paul Revere, not on his actual route, but always on his day, Patriots Day in the State of Massachusetts (that's why it's on Monday). The Kosice Marathon in Slovakia and the Comrades Marathon in South Africa were created to commemorate the dead in World War 1. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon affirms life after the bombings in that city in 1995. This very Boston Marathon mourned and honored the school kids who were gunned down a few months ago in Newtown, Connecticut, not far from here. Out of respect for them, the race was started for the first time in 117 years not with a gun but with an air horn.  Even without that special purpose, marathon running is a sport of goodwill. It's the only sport in the world where if a competitor falls, the others around will pick him or her up. It's the only sport in the world open to absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or any other division you can think of. It's the only occasion when thousands of people assemble, often in a major city, for a reason that is totally peaceful, healthy and well-meaning. It's the only sport in the world where no one ever boos anybody.  If you're losing your faith in human nature, look at marathon crowds, standing for hours with no seating, no cover, no bathrooms, to cheer thousands of strangers. I found this eerily true.  Many times in my last 5 runs, I lost steam, found it hard to keep going only to hear people whom I never met cheering me on.    

Every year I seriously question my resolve, my rationale for doing this.  Every year I find some reason to make the trek, mostly self centered.  I have to admit that I am considering doing one more just in memory for those in Boston.  I feel humbled to be in the crowd of such people.  I can only aspire to hold up my end and give my all.

Go Fly A Kite (Part Duex)

Excellent weekend.  Nice weather.  Dogs behaved well.  Ate too much.  No issues with the trailer (pilot light on the water heater blew out but got it restarted with no problems).  Aside of all the sand we tracked in, was a pretty good weekend.  I like close-in rallies.  No long drive, late set up.  I had planned to take off Friday anyway so I could take my time getting down there.  Was able to load up and head south by noon.  Pulled in about an hour later and set up camp.  When you pull a trailer of this size, my dad taught me a system on how to set up camp.  Level the rig, drop the stabilizers, hook up the power, check the voltage to make sure the current is not reversed (yes, this is a problem in some parks), fire up the a/c, hook up the sewer line, hook up the water, unhook the trailer, check to make sure nothing leaks, switch over the refer from gas to electric power, pull out the awnings, open up the trailer.  And, oh yea, let the dogs out of the truck to go pee.  Dogs know the routine by now.  They are very patient with the set up knowing that they'll get a chance to explore once I have the base camp set up.  Lots of new things to smell/see/pee on.  

Overall, I'd say the rally was a success.  Lots of sun, lots of wind, lots of sand, lots of food, lots of drink, lots of camaraderie   A good time to kick back and relax.  Took advantage of the nearby beach to expose the dogs to a new experience.  Both have never been to the beach or the ocean so it was a whole new world for them.  Put in a few miles exploring the dunes at high & low tides.  

Base camp

Not quite roughing it.  Can you my rig? 

Sunrise on the Gulf

Exploring the beachhead

 Of course, exploring the beach at high tide, you find lots of interesting things.  Some more enticing (aka smelly) than others.  

Zombie fish

Saturday we held our kite contest.  I haven't flown a kite in years.  Couldn't find the kite I bought a few weeks ago for this rally so I had to fall back to the cheap one I got from the rally hosts.  

Look!  Up in the air!  It's a bird!  It's a plane!

Grayson getting his feet wet (and other things) 

Of course, with our club, there is always a party looking to break out.  One of our campers loves to boil seafood.  He went off and picked up a whole bunch of shrimp and we had an impromptu shrimp boil on the beach complete with margaritas.

Impromptu shrimp boil.  Who do you think is the center of attention here?

Of course, the dogs, loved to the chance to find new things on the shoreline.  Found this carcass this morning.  Not sure what it was but think it was a dolphin that was pretty much picked clean.  Grayson and Claire had to find out more...  

Grayson was highly interested in this seaside find.  

We even managed to find a few gems along the shoreline.  

Geode we found washed up on the shore.

My main purpose was, of course, to wear out the dogs.  Think I may have succeeded.  

Hiding out from the sun

Claire crashed

Looking ahead to a mountain of work and reports this coming week.  A long weekend that I am going to have to pay for.  Still, in my mind, a good weekend.  

Sunrise again

    

Go Fly A Kite

Finally able to get my "stuff" together to rejoin on of our Airstream Rallies.  We haven't been out in the trailer since the New Year's rally.  Been too busy at work or dealing with the in-law's issues.  My brother is hosting a rally down south in Galveston (about an hour south of here) for the weekend.  I figured that I didn't have any more good excuses NOT to attend so I signed us up.  This rally is in a campground near the beach and the theme is kite flying.  Another storm front blew through yesterday and the temps dipped back down to the 40's but the weekend is looking to be dry and warm.  Now I finally get to test out my skylight repair.

I plan on taking the dogs down for their first beach experience.  We live about an hour from the gulf and I have never taken any of the dogs to the shore so I am curious to see what their reaction will be.  Both are not real swimmers, so I am sure they won't know how to handle waves.  Hope to post pictures if they cooperate.  

Springtime

Spring has sprung down here.  The oak out back is shedding all its leaves and fuzzy pollen leaving my patio furniture covered up.  Flowers are coming up all over, need to put out some fertilizer, remulch the beds, plant new flowers.  

Was trimming up the photinia out back two weeks ago when I noted a few "transients" had set up house in the bushes.  

Went back out this weekend to check on their progress.  Seems like we have a family moved in behind us.  
  

Mom!  What's for dinner?

Of course, the dogs were just enjoying some time in the sun.  

Yard dogs

May the course be with you!

13.1 miles

21.1 kilometers

69168 feet

Something about getting up at zero dark thirty, tossing on your running togs, lacing up the shoes, and hitting the cold, wet streets before the crack of dawn with several thousand other insane people just doesn't quite seem right.  What kind of insane person would do that?  Even better, there are wackos out there who actually PAY money to run in the dark!  Been there.  Done that.  Got the shirt.

Mucho blog juju to ShadowRun300 on her first (of many) half marathon tomorrow.  Y'all need to jump over and wish her luck.  

A few of the best slogans I've read over the years:

• If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes.
• Runners do it with rhythm.
• Dear God, please let there be someone behind me to read this.
• This isn't sweat.  It's liquid awesome!
• I know I run like a girl.  Try to keep up.  
• I do not run to add days to my life... add life to my days. 
• I took the road less traveled by, now where the heck am I?
• Either you RUN the day or the day RUNS you.
• There will be days I don't know if I can do a Half-Marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing I have. 

Perspective

Please excuse my temporary absence from posting (like I am ever regular).  I really haven't been up to posting anything meaningful or funny.  I am just trolling around the net making comments on everyone else's blogs.  I'm it a bit of a funk right now and find it hard to find the right post.   

I would like to say we had a good Easter Weekend, but I really hate to lie.  Spending Easter Sunday in the Emergency Room tends to put a damper on the weekend.  First of all, let me say we are ok.  My father-in-law had a serious breathing problem and they took him into the ER early Sunday morning.  Spent most of the morning in the waiting room to see how this would turn out.  My FIL has really been going downhill lately.  Many other people have had issues with their parents and we are no different.  While my folks are still in good shape and traveling the countryside in their shiny aluminum trailer, my in-laws have been dealing with lots of issues.  Bad hips, pacemaker, COPD, blindness, Alzheimer's.  Thinks have not been easy.  My wife and her sister have been caring for her parents pretty much full time for the past few years.  It was only recently that they hired in some help for the heavy lifting and give them a break.  Still, dealing with your parent's failing health can wear a person down.  My wife's dad has been suffering from Alzheimer's for a while.  In life, you can get a lot of diseases, but I've decided that Alzheimer's can be one of the cruelest of all.  It is really sad to see someone who was very bright, very sharp slowly fade away.  David is not the same man I knew years ago.  Sharp, intelligent, a bit odd but with weird sense of humor.  All that is gone now.  

When you spend a lot of time in the waiting room on Sunday (they'd only let two people in at a time), you tend to ponder the meaning of life and stuff.  We are trying to be pragmatic in our outlook but, honestly, we were expecting bad news.  David has improved and they released him to hospice care today, but, in the back of my mind, I begin to think "how long?".  I realize that we all have an expiration date, but I cannot help but feel bad.  I want to help, but I cannot do anything for my wife or her sister aside of be there for them. 

I realize that everyone out there have been or are dealing with the same issues.  Our parents grow old, get ill, pass away.  The pragmatist in me says: "That's life".  The cynic in me asks: What the hell can we do?  The optimist tells me to Enjoy what we have.